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Sony A500 vs Sony W550

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced August 2009
  • Replacement is Sony A560
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Launched July 2011
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Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Sony A500 and Sony W550, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are designed by Sony. The image resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the W550 (14MP) is very similar but the A500 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was brought out 23 months earlier than the W550 making them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the A500 scores versus the W550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W550

 A500 W550 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A500

 W550 A500 
LaunchedJuly 2011August 2009Newer by 23 months

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony W550

 A500 W550 
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 has physical measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 and Sony W550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the A500 compared to the W550.

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and W550 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to see the difference between sensor dimensions only by reviewing a spec sheet. The image underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and W550.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A500 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony W550 will deliver greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged A500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography highlights
Sony W550 Portrait photography highlights
63
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
28
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography information
Sony W550 Street photography information
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony W550
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
low battery power (520 per charge)
35
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography details
Sony W550 Travel photography details
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low battery power (520 shots)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
65
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (26mm)
no Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony W550
60
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery power (520 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
42
really wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
no manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging information
Sony W550 Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
29
really wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone socket
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Sony A500 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony W550
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2009-08-27 2011-07-24
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630g (1.39 lbs) 110g (0.24 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 772 not tested
Other
Battery life 520 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single -
Launch cost $638 $119