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Sony A550 vs Sony A6500

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Announced October 2016
  • Older Model is Sony A6300
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Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Sony A550 vs Sony A6500, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are built by Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and A6500 (24MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (APS-C).

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The A550 was launched 7 years earlier than the A6500 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the A550 grades versus the A6500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A6500

 A550 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Sony A550

 A6500 A550 
AnnouncedOctober 2016December 2009Fresher by 83 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A6500

 A550 A6500 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Display resolution922k922kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and size. The Sony A550 provides outer dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the A550 and the A6500.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and A6500 is 63 and 81 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and A6500.

Clearly, both of those cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same megapixels. You should expect to see the Sony A6500 to offer extra detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A6500 Portrait photography highlights
72
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
80
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography info
Sony A6500 Street photography info
74
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
weather proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography info
Sony A6500 Sports photography info
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery life (480 per charge)
77
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
bad battery (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A550
Travel photography with Sony A6500
52
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery life (480 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
74
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
has built in flash
bad battery (350 CIPA)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography info
Sony A6500 Landscape photography info
66
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
not so great battery life (480 CIPA)
no Timelapse mode
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
bad battery (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A550
Vlogging with Sony A6500
9
lack of video recording
39
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone port
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Sony A550 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony A6500
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha a6500
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2009-12-09 2016-10-06
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 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Max boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Available lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 922 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
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 Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160s 1/160s
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
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632 gr (1.39 lb) 453 gr (1.00 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 85
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 13.7
DXO Low light rating 807 1405
Other
Battery life 480 photos 350 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch price $749 $1,298