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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550

Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Previous Model is Sigma SD1
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Introduced July 2011
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Overview

Below is a in-depth overview of the Sigma SD1 Merrill versus Sony W550, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Sigma and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SD1 Merrill (15MP) and the W550 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the SD1 Merrill (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The SD1 Merrill was manufactured 9 months later than the W550 and they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the SD1 Merrill grades against the W550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Sony W550

 SD1 Merrill W550 
IntroducedApril 2012July 2011More recent by 9 months
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 W550 SD1 Merrill 

Common features in the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony W550

 SD1 Merrill W550 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Sigma SD1 Merrill enjoys outer dimensions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Examine the Sigma SD1 Merrill versus Sony W550 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the SD1 Merrill vs the W550.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SD1 Merrill and W550 is 57 and 96 respectively.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD1 Merrill and W550.

Clearly, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SD1 Merrill because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will give you more detail due to its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The younger SD1 Merrill is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Portrait photography details
Sony W550 Portrait photography details
65
has manual focus
good MP (15 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
28
decent MP (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography features
Sony W550 Street photography features
57
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography highlights
Sony W550 Sports photography highlights
61
good MP (15 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
weather proofing
supports phase detect AF
no liveview
no image stabilization
35
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Travel photography info
Sony W550 Travel photography info
54
weather proofing
good MP (15MP)
no Time Lapse recording
does not offer selfie friendly display
65
decent MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Landscape photography with Sony W550
63
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sigma SA mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
good MP (15MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
no liveview
no image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording
42
pretty wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Vlogging with Sony W550
9
can't shoot video
29
pretty wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic port
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony W550
 Sigma SD1 MerrillSony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Make Sigma Sony
Model Sigma SD1 Merrill Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Type Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2012-04-10 2011-07-24
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual True II BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS (Foveon X3) CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 24 x 16mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 384.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 15 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4800 x 3200 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount Sigma SA fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 76 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 96 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed - 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed - 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.80 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 790g (1.74 lbs) 110g (0.24 lbs)
Physical dimensions 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model - NP-BN1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 -
Launch pricing $2,339 $119