Clicky

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550

Portability
63
Imaging
78
Features
93
Overall
84
Sony Alpha A7R III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony A7R III
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Revealed October 2017
  • Succeeded the Sony A7R II
  • Replacement is Sony A7R 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
  • Revealed July 2011
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Sony A7R III vs Sony W550, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact and both are designed by Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the A7R III (42MP) and W550 (14MP) and the A7R III (Full frame) and W550 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The A7R III was unveiled 6 years after the W550 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the A7R III scores against the W550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Sony W550

 A7R III W550 
RevealedOctober 2017July 2011Newer by 77 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k230kCrisper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A7R III

 W550 A7R III 

Common features in the Sony A7R III and Sony W550

 A7R III W550 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Sony A7R III comes with physical measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Compare the Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the A7R III vs the W550.

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the A7R III and W550 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions only by looking at specifications. The picture below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the A7R III and W550.

Plainly, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A7R III having a bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A7R III will give you extra detail having an extra 28MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger A7R III will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R III Portrait photography highlights
Sony W550 Portrait photography highlights
86
you can focus manually
amazing megapixels (42MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
28
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Sony A7R III as a Street photography camera
Sony W550 as a Street photography camera
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
has touch focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (32,000)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sony A7R III Sports photography info
Sony W550 Sports photography info
89
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing megapixels (42MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
weather sealing
good battery life (650 per charge)
has phase detect autofocus
35
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Sony A7R III Travel photography highlights
Sony W550 Travel photography highlights
74
good battery life (650 per charge)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
amazing megapixels (42 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
65
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A7R III
Landscape photography with Sony W550
87
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing megapixels (42MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
good high ISO (32,000)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
good battery life (650 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
42
reasonably wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
no manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7R III Vlogging factors
Sony W550 Vlogging factors
37
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has microphone jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
29
reasonably wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone jack
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sony A7R III vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R III and Sony W550
 Sony Alpha A7R IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7R III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Pro Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2017-10-25 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 measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 42MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 7952 x 5304 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 32000 3200
Max enhanced ISO 102400 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 425 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,440k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,686k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.80 m
Flash modes Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync 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
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 657g (1.45 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 Overall score 100 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 26.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 14.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 3523 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model 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
Type of storage Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two -
Launch pricing $2,800 $119