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Sony A100 vs Sony W550

Portability
64
Imaging
48
Features
38
Overall
44
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Announced July 2006
  • Earlier Model is Konica Minolta 5D
  • Successor is Sony A550
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
  • Announced July 2011
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Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Overview

Below is a extensive analysis of the Sony A100 vs Sony W550, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both built by Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the A100 (10MP) and W550 (14MP) and the A100 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The A100 was announced 6 years prior to the W550 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a brief view of how the A100 matches up versus the W550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Sony W550

 A100 W550 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A100

 W550 A100 
AnnouncedJuly 2011July 2006More recent by 60 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Sony A100 and Sony W550

 A100 W550 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony A100 features outside dimensions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs) and the Sony W550 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A100 vs Sony W550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the A100 and the W550.

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A100 and W550 is 64 and 96 respectively.

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading through specifications. The visual here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A100 and W550.

To sum up, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A100 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sony W550 will resolve more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older A100 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A100 Portrait photography factors
Sony W550 Portrait photography factors
52
has manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
28
MP count decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A100 Street photography highlights
Sony W550 Street photography highlights
64
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A100 Sports photography advice
Sony W550 Sports photography advice
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
35
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A100
Travel photography with Sony W550
45
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
65
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A100
Landscape photography with Sony W550
53
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (10MP)
lack of Timelapse function
42
really wide (26mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
no manual control
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A100 Vlogging information
Sony W550 Vlogging information
9
can't record video
29
really wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone jack
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Sony A100 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A100 and Sony W550
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2006-07-31 2011-07-24
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.6 x 15.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 372.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3872 x 2592 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 3.80 m
Flash settings Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 638 gr (1.41 pounds) 110 gr (0.24 pounds)
Physical dimensions 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 61 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 476 not tested
Other
Battery ID NP-FM55H NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 -
Launch price $1,000 $119