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Sony A550 vs Sony a5000

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Alpha a5000 front
Portability
89
Imaging
63
Features
62
Overall
62

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 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
  • Old Model is Sony A100
Sony a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Introduced January 2014
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-3N
  • Successor is Sony a5100
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Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 Overview

The following is a detailed review of the Sony A550 versus Sony a5000, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both produced by Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and a5000 (20MP) but they possess the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The A550 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the a5000 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a concise summation of how the A550 grades against the a5000 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony a5000

 A550 a5000 
Display resolution922k461kCrisper display (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Sony A550

 a5000 A550 
IntroducedJanuary 2014December 2009Newer by 49 months

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony a5000

 A550 a5000 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony A550 comes with exterior measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony a5000 has proportions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A550 versus Sony a5000 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the A550 against the a5000.

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and a5000 is 63 and 89 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions only by checking out a spec sheet. The image here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the A550 and a5000.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can anticipate the Sony a5000 to show greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged A550 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography highlights
Sony a5000 Portrait photography highlights
72
manual focus
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW files
71
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography highlights
Sony a5000 Street photography highlights
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
78
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A550
Sports photography with Sony a5000
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
bad battery power (480 CIPA)
60
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
better than average battery power (420 CIPA)
slow frames per second (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography advice
Sony a5000 Travel photography advice
52
decent MP (14MP)
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
bad battery power (480 shots)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
78
better than average battery power (420 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
flash built-in
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography features
Sony a5000 Landscape photography features
66
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
bad battery power (480 per charge)
no Timelapse recording
77
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (420 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging highlights
Sony a5000 Vlogging highlights
9
no video recording
32
supports face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of microphone port
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Sony A550 vs Sony a5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony a5000
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Alpha a5000
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha a5000
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-12-09 2014-01-07
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 12800 16000
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Available lenses 143 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.6
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 461 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 269 grams (0.59 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 79
DXO Color Depth score 21.9 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.8 13.0
DXO Low light score 807 1089
Other
Battery life 480 shots 420 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $749 $448