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Sony A7 III vs Sony W550

Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A7 III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Revealed February 2018
  • Succeeded the Sony A7 II
  • Updated by Sony A7 IV
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
  • Released July 2011
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Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Sony A7 III vs Sony W550, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both created by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A7 III (24MP) and W550 (14MP) and the A7 III (Full frame) and W550 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The A7 III was released 6 years later than the W550 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the A7 III matches up versus the W550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Sony W550

 A7 III W550 
ReleasedFebruary 2018July 2011Fresher by 81 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A7 III

 W550 A7 III 

Common features in the Sony A7 III and Sony W550

 A7 III W550 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Sony A7 III features outside dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the A7 III vs the W550.

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A7 III and W550 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing purely by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A7 III and W550.

As you can see, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A7 III due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A7 III will show more detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger A7 III will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A7 III
Portrait photography with Sony W550
84
you can focus manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
28
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A7 III Street photography details
Sony W550 Street photography details
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
weather proofing
very good high ISO (51,200)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7 III as a Sports photography camera
Sony W550 as a Sports photography camera
87
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery (610 per charge)
sensor has phase detect AF
35
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7 III as a Travel photography camera
Sony W550 as a Travel photography camera
73
great battery (610 shots)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
MP count decent (24MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
65
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7 III Landscape photography highlights
Sony W550 Landscape photography highlights
85
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
great battery (610 CIPA)
has double storage slots
42
pretty wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7 III Vlogging info
Sony W550 Vlogging info
36
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes mic port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
29
pretty wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic port
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Sony A7 III vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7 III and Sony W550
 Sony Alpha A7 IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7 III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Pro Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2018-02-27 2011-07-24
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.8 x 23.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 852.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6000 x 4000 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 51200 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 204800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 693 9
Lens
Lens support Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 922 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.80 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 650g (1.43 pounds) 110g (0.24 pounds)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 96 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 25.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 3730 not tested
Other
Battery life 610 photos -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 2 -
Launch price $1,998 $119