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Sony A550 vs Sony A6400

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Alpha a6400 front
Portability
83
Imaging
70
Features
88
Overall
77

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 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
  • Launched December 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
Sony A6400
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102400)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 403g - 120 x 67 x 50mm
  • Released January 2019
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Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Sony A550 vs Sony A6400, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are designed by Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and A6400 (24MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The A550 was introduced 10 years before the A6400 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A6400 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise overview of how the A550 matches up versus the A6400 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A6400

 A550 A6400 

Reasons to pick Sony A6400 over the Sony A550

 A6400 A550 
ReleasedJanuary 2019December 2009Fresher by 110 months
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A6400

 A550 A6400 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Screen resolution922k922kThe same screen resolution

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Sony A550 provides outside 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) whilst the Sony A6400 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") along with a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs).

Look at the Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the A550 against the A6400.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and A6400 is 63 and 83 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by checking technical specs. The graphic underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the A550 and A6400.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Sony A6400 to give greater detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
Sony A6400 Portrait photography factors
72
manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW formats
82
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography factors
Sony A6400 Street photography factors
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
81
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
comes with touch focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (32,000)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6400 as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery pack (480 shots)
76
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography factors
Sony A6400 Travel photography factors
52
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (480 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
87
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
comes with touch focus
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A550
Landscape photography with Sony A6400
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
not so great battery pack (480 per charge)
missing Time Lapse recording
80
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good high ISO (32,000)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging details
Sony A6400 Vlogging details
9
no video recording
80
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have microphone jack
does not have image stabilization
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Sony A550 vs Sony A6400 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony A6400
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Alpha a6400
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha a6400
Class Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2009-12-09 2019-01-15
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 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 12800 32000
Maximum enhanced ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Available lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 922 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Off, auto, on, slow sync, rear sync, redeye reduction, wireless, hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264, XAVC-S
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632 gr (1.39 pounds) 403 gr (0.89 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 83
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 24.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 13.6
DXO Low light rating 807 1431
Other
Battery life 480 pictures 410 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant)
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $749 $898