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Sony A550 vs Sony A6100

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Alpha a6100 front
Portability
81
Imaging
70
Features
88
Overall
77

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony A6100
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 51200)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 67 x 59mm
  • Introduced August 2019
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Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Sony A550 and Sony A6100, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both built by Sony. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and A6100 (24MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The A550 was released 10 years earlier than the A6100 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A6100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the A550 scores against the A6100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A6100

 A550 A6100 

Reasons to pick Sony A6100 over the Sony A550

 A6100 A550 
IntroducedAugust 2019December 2009Fresher by 118 months
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A6100

 A550 A6100 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Display resolution922k922kSame display resolution

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony A550 enjoys physical measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony A6100 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A550 and Sony A6100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the A550 versus the A6100.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A550 and A6100 is 63 and 81 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by checking technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the A550 and A6100.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Sony A6100 to give greater detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography features
Sony A6100 Portrait photography features
72
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
82
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A550
Street photography with Sony A6100
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
79
has a tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
supports touch focus
great high ISO (32,000)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6100 as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
low battery pack (480 shots)
75
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
supports phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography info
Sony A6100 Travel photography info
52
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
low battery pack (480 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
86
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography factors
Sony A6100 Landscape photography factors
66
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (480 shots)
missing Timelapse recording
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
great high ISO (32,000)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6100 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
offers face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with mic support
lack of image stabilization
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Sony A550 vs Sony A6100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony A6100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Alpha a6100
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha a6100
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2009-12-09 2019-08-28
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz Bionz X
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 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4592 x 3056 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 32000
Max enhanced ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Total lenses 143 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 922 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Flash off, auto, fill flash, slow sync, rear sync, wireless, hi-speed
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 396 grams (0.87 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.8 not tested
DXO Low light score 807 not tested
Other
Battery life 480 pictures 420 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $749 $748