Sony A550 vs Sony NEX-C3

Its time to take a closer look at the Sony A550 versus Sony NEX-C3, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are created by Sony. The image resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the NEX-C3 (16MP) is fairly well matched and both cameras offer the identical sensor dimensions (APS-C).

Photography Glossary

The A550 was revealed 20 months before the NEX-C3 making them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the A550 scores against the NEX-C3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The full galleries are provided at Sony A550 Gallery and Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Sony A550 features exterior dimensions 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-C3 has specifications of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Sony A550 versus Sony NEX-C3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the A550 against the NEX-C3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A550 and NEX-C3 is 63 and 91 respectively.

Normally, its tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing just by reading through specs. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A550 and NEX-C3.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You should anticipate the Sony NEX-C3 to resolve greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.