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Sony A9 vs Sony A55

Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Announced April 2017
  • Later Model is Sony A9 II
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Newer Model is Sony A57
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Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Overview

Below, we are analyzing the Sony A9 vs Sony A55, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both offered by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A9 (24MP) and A55 (16MP) and the A9 (Full frame) and A55 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

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The A9 was brought out 6 years after the A55 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the A9 grades vs the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Sony A55

 A9 A55 
RevealedApril 2017August 2010More modern by 81 months
Display resolution1440k921kSharper display (+519k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony A9

 A55 A9 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A9 and Sony A55

 A9 A55 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A9 provides physical dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A9 vs Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the A9 vs the A55.

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A9 and A55 is 65 and 67 respectively.

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes simply by checking out specs. The pic below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the A9 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A9 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A9 will produce extra detail having its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The newer A9 should have an edge in sensor technology.

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A9
Portrait photography with Sony A55
83
manual focus
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW files
73
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 Street photography features
Sony A55 Street photography features
79
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW files
offers focus via touch
weather sealing
good high ISO (51,200)
77
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
86
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (20.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
better than average battery power (650 per charge)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
bad battery pack (380 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A9
Travel photography with Sony A55
73
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
offers focus via touch
good MP (24 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
62
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
bad battery pack (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A9 Landscape photography advice
Sony A55 Landscape photography advice
85
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
67
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
bad battery pack (380 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
36
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
78
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has mic jack
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Sony A9 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony A55
 Sony Alpha A9Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A9 Sony SLT-A55
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2017-04-19 2010-08-24
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 6000 x 4000 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 51200 12800
Max enhanced ISO 204800 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 693 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 121 143
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,440k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,686k dot 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 673 grams (1.48 lbs) 500 grams (1.10 lbs)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 92 73
DXO Color Depth rating 24.9 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 12.4
DXO Low light rating 3517 816
Other
Battery life 650 images 380 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Dual Single
Cost at release $4,498 $800