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Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Older Model is Sony A100
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
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Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are built by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A550 was launched 24 months prior to the NEX-7 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the A550 scores versus the NEX-7 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony NEX-7

 A550 NEX-7 
Screen resolution922k921kClearer screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Sony A550

 NEX-7 A550 
AnnouncedDecember 2011December 2009More recent by 24 months

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony NEX-7

 A550 NEX-7 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A550 offers exterior measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the A550 against the NEX-7.

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and NEX-7 is 63 and 84 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The photograph underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and NEX-7.

To sum up, both the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You should count on the Sony NEX-7 to give more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography info
72
you can focus manually
good resolution (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
delivers RAW files
77
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Street photography camera
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography features
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography features
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery life (480 shots)
61
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good battery pack (430 per charge)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography factors
52
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery life (480 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly display
70
good battery pack (430 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A550
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-7
66
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
not so great battery life (480 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
72
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (430 shots)
no image stabilization
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging features
9
no video shooting
35
provides face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
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Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony NEX-7
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-12-09 2011-12-13
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 16000
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Number of lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632g (1.39 pounds) 400g (0.88 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 81
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 24.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 13.4
DXO Low light rating 807 1016
Other
Battery life 480 photographs 430 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $749 $699