Sony A7S vs Sony A550
77 Imaging
59 Features
73 Overall
64
63 Imaging
53 Features
65 Overall
57
Sony A7S vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 409600
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
- Released April 2014
- Successor is Sony A7S II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Launched December 2009
- Old Model is Sony A100
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Following is a detailed overview of the Sony A7S versus Sony A550, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both built by Sony. The resolution of the A7S (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very similar but the A7S (Full frame) and A550 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesThe A7S was manufactured 4 years after the A550 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the A7S matches up vs the A550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha A7S and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are provided at Sony A7S Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Sony A550
| A7S | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | April 2014 | December 2009 | More modern by 53 months | |
| Display resolution | 1230k | 922k | Sharper display (+308k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A7S
| A550 | A7S |
|---|
Common features in the Sony A7S and Sony A550
| A7S | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Very exact focusing | |||
| Display type | Tilting | Tilting | Tilting display | |
| Display dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal display size | |
| Selfie screen | Neither includes selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly display | Lack of Touch friendly display |
Sony A7S vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A7S features external dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") along with a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Check out the Sony A7S versus Sony A550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the A7S and the A550.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A7S and A550 is 77 and 63 respectively.
Sony A7S vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's hard to picture the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The pic here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the A7S and A550.
As you can plainly see, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A7S due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony A550 will offer more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The younger A7S provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.
Sony A7S vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder
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Sony A7S vs Sony A550 Specifications
| Sony Alpha A7S | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Sony | Sony |
| Model type | Sony Alpha A7S | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
| Category | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Released | 2014-04-06 | 2009-12-09 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | Bionz X | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Full frame | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 35.8 x 23.9mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 855.6mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Full resolution | 4240 x 2832 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Max native ISO | 409600 | 12800 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW pictures | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Total focus points | 25 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Sony E | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Total lenses | 121 | 143 |
| Crop factor | 1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Tilting | Tilting |
| Display size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Display resolution | 1,230 thousand dot | 922 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,359 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.71x | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 5.0fps | 7.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | no built-in flash | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | - | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps) | - |
| Max video resolution | 3840x2160 | None |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC | - |
| Microphone jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 489 gr (1.08 pounds) | 632 gr (1.39 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 87 | 66 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.9 | 21.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 13.2 | 11.8 |
| DXO Low light rating | 3702 | 807 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 360 shots | 480 shots |
| Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | NP-FW50 | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | With downloadable app | |
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Cost at launch | $1,998 | $749 |