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Sony A550 vs Sony A700

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
58
Overall
53

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Key Specs

Sony A550
(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
  • Released December 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A100
Sony A700
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 768g - 142 x 105 x 80mm
  • Announced December 2007
  • Earlier Model is Konica Minolta 7D
  • Updated by Sony A77
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Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Overview

Below is a detailed overview of the Sony A550 vs Sony A700, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are produced by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the A700 (12MP) is very similar and both cameras have the same sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A550 was announced 2 years later than the A700 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the A550 matches up versus the A700 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A700

 A550 A700 
AnnouncedDecember 2009December 2007More recent by 25 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k920kClearer display (+2k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A700 over the Sony A550

 A700 A550 

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A700

 A550 A700 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Sony A550 has got physical dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A700 has sizing of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Look at the Sony A550 vs Sony A700 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the A550 compared to the A700.

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and A700 is 63 and 58 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading technical specs. The visual here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and A700.

As you have seen, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can expect to see the Sony A550 to deliver extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more modern A550 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A700 Portrait photography highlights
72
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focus
supports RAW files
54
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography advice
Sony A700 Street photography advice
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
64
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography factors
Sony A700 Sports photography factors
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
56
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview
low fps (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A700 as a Travel photography camera
52
MP count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
does not have selfie friendly display
49
weather proofing
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A700 Landscape photography highlights
66
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
62
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
has double storage slots
no liveview
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A550
Vlogging with Sony A700
9
no video
9
no video shooting
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Sony A550 vs Sony A700 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony A700
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Released 2009-12-09 2007-12-19
Body design Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4592 x 3056 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 922k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.6x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, rear curtain, Off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Max video resolution None None
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 632 gr (1.39 lbs) 768 gr (1.69 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 142 x 105 x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 66
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 22.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 11.9
DXO Low light rating 807 581
Other
Battery life 480 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Two
Retail pricing $749 $1,000