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Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550

Portability
93
Imaging
32
Features
30
Overall
31
Ricoh CX1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Ricoh CX1
(Full Review)
  • 9MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28-200mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 180g - 102 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced February 2009
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A100
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Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Ricoh CX1 versus Sony A550, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the CX1 (9MP) and A550 (14MP) and the CX1 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

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The CX1 was brought out 9 months earlier than the A550 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh CX1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the CX1 scores against the A550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX1 over the Sony A550

 CX1 A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Ricoh CX1

 A550 CX1 
RevealedDecember 2009February 2009More recent by 9 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k920kSharper screen (+2k dot)

Common features in the Ricoh CX1 and Sony A550

 CX1 A550 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Ricoh CX1 offers physical dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh CX1 versus Sony A550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the CX1 and the A550.

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the CX1 and A550 is 93 and 63 respectively.

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over specifications. The visual underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the CX1 and A550.

To sum up, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The CX1 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A550 will deliver extra detail having its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older CX1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh CX1 Portrait photography features
Sony A550 Portrait photography features
25
you can focus manually
no manual control
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (9MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
72
manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh CX1
Street photography with Sony A550
55
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh CX1 Sports photography info
Sony A550 Sports photography info
26
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (9 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (480 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh CX1 Travel photography details
Sony A550 Travel photography details
59
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
resolution not great (9 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
52
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery power (480 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX1 Landscape photography advice
Sony A550 Landscape photography advice
42
you can focus manually
quite wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
resolution not great (9 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
66
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
not so great battery power (480 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh CX1 Vlogging highlights
Sony A550 Vlogging highlights
28
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
no external microphone socket
9
no video recording
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Ricoh CX1 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX1 and Sony A550
 Ricoh CX1Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Manufacturer Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh CX1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2009-02-19 2009-12-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Smooth Imaging Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 9MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3456 x 2592 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-200mm (7.1x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.2 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 640x480 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 180 grams (0.40 lbs) 632 grams (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID DB-70 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $299 $749