Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55
77 Imaging
54 Features
43 Overall
49


67 Imaging
55 Features
80 Overall
65
Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 15MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 0 - 0
- No Video
- Sigma SA Mount
- n/ag - 146 x 113 x 80mm
- Launched September 2010
- Replacement is Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Introduced August 2010
- Replacement is Sony A57

Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Overview
Below is a in depth assessment of the Sigma SD1 and Sony A55, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Sigma and Sony. The image resolution of the SD1 (15MP) and the A55 (16MP) is very similar and both cameras provide the same sensor sizing (APS-C).

The SD1 was unveiled within a month of the A55 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sigma SD1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the SD1 scores versus the A55 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sigma SD1 & Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are provided at Sigma SD1 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 over the Sony A55
SD1 | A55 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sigma SD1
A55 | SD1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper display (+461k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Sigma SD1 and Sony A55
SD1 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2010 | ![]() | August 2010 | Similar age |
Manually focus | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display measurement |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Absent Touch friendly display |
Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sigma SD1 provides physical dimensions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of n/a grams (0.00 lbs) and the Sony A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Check the Sigma SD1 and Sony A55 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the SD1 compared to the A55.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SD1 and A55 is 77 and 67 respectively.

Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD1 and A55.
Clearly, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Sony A55 to offer extra detail having an extra 1 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos more aggressively.

Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Sigma SD1 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Sigma SD1 | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Sigma | Sony |
Model | Sigma SD1 | Sony SLT-A55 |
Type | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Launched | 2010-09-21 | 2010-08-24 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Dual True II | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS (Foveon X3) | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 24 x 16mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 384.0mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 15 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | - | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4800 x 3200 | 4912 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | - | 12800 |
Highest enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | - | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 15 |
Cross focus points | 2 | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Sigma SA | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Amount of lenses | 76 | 143 |
Crop factor | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 96% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.64x | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 15s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 5.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | - | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash options | - | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | - | 500 grams (1.10 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 73 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.4 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 816 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 380 photos |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible) | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at release | $2,339 | $800 |