Sigma SD15 vs Sony W550

Here is a thorough analysis of the Sigma SD15 and Sony W550, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Sigma and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the SD15 (5MP) and W550 (14MP) and the SD15 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SD15 was unveiled 17 months earlier than the W550 making them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras have different body design with the Sigma SD15 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the SD15 matches up versus the W550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sigma SD15 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The full galleries are provided at Sigma SD15 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Sigma SD15 has outer dimensions of 144mm x 107mm x 81mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check the Sigma SD15 and Sony W550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the SD15 versus the W550.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SD15 and W550 is 59 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by checking out a spec sheet. The visual here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD15 and W550.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SD15 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony W550 will produce extra detail having an extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older SD15 will be behind in sensor innovation.