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Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1

Portability
90
Imaging
34
Features
31
Overall
32
Samsung HZ15W front
 
Sony Alpha a1 front
Portability
61
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Key Specs

Samsung HZ15W
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 249g - 105 x 61 x 37mm
  • Introduced February 2009
  • Other Name is WB550
Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Revealed January 2021
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Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Overview

Below is a detailed review of the Samsung HZ15W versus Sony a1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Samsung and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the HZ15W (12MP) and a1 (50MP) and the HZ15W (1/2.3") and a1 (Full frame) have different sensor size.

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The HZ15W was released 13 years prior to the a1 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Samsung HZ15W being a Compact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short highlight of how the HZ15W matches up against the a1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Samsung HZ15W over the Sony a1

 HZ15W a1 

Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Samsung HZ15W

 a1 HZ15W 
RevealedJanuary 2021February 2009More recent by 145 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1440k460kSharper display (+980k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Samsung HZ15W and Sony a1

 HZ15W a1 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Samsung HZ15W offers exterior measurements of 105mm x 61mm x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") along with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony a1 has dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

See the Samsung HZ15W versus Sony a1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the HZ15W and the a1.

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the HZ15W and a1 is 90 and 61 respectively.

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 top view buttons comparison

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to picture the contrast between sensor measurements just by going over specs. The graphic below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the HZ15W and a1.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The HZ15W featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony a1 will offer you more detail as a result of its extra 38MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The older HZ15W is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 sensor size comparison

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Portrait photography advice
Sony a1 Portrait photography advice
31
focusing manually
has face detection autofocus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
88
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/400 seconds)
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Street photography details
Sony a1 Street photography details
52
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
more heavy than others (249g)
79
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Samsung HZ15W
Sports photography with Sony a1
27
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
90
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
high max frames per second (30.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery (530 per charge)
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Travel photography advice
Sony a1 Travel photography advice
54
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than others (249 grams)
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
73
good battery (530 shots)
weather sealing
has bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Landscape photography info
Sony a1 Landscape photography info
40
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not available
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Timelapse function
88
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic sensor resolution (50MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
good battery (530 per charge)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Samsung HZ15W Vlogging highlights
Sony a1 Vlogging highlights
28
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection autofocus
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone support
more heavy than others (249g)
36
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
video resolution high (7680 x 4320 pixels)
includes external mic support
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Samsung HZ15W vs Sony a1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung HZ15W and Sony a1
 Samsung HZ15WSony Alpha a1
General Information
Company Samsung Sony
Model type Samsung HZ15W Sony Alpha a1
Other name WB550 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-02-23 2021-01-26
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 50MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 8640 x 5760
Max native ISO 3200 32000
Max boosted ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 759
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 24-240mm (10.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.3-5.8 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 133
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 9,437k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.9x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 16 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 30.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.70 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/400 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps) 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98)
Max video resolution 1280x720 7680x4320
Video data format Motion JPEG XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 249 gr (0.55 lb) 737 gr (1.62 lb)
Physical dimensions 105 x 61 x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 530 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (10 sec, 2 sec, Double, Motion Timer) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage type SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, internal Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots 1 Two
Launch price $330 $6,498