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Sony A550 vs Sony H300

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
45
Features
37
Overall
41

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 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
  • Announced December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
Sony H300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-875mm (F3-5.9) lens
  • 590g - 130 x 95 x 122mm
  • Released February 2014
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Sony A550 vs Sony H300 Overview

Following is a in-depth assessment of the Sony A550 versus Sony H300, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and H300 (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and H300 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The A550 was revealed 5 years earlier than the H300 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony H300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the A550 scores versus the H300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony H300

 A550 H300 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony H300 over the Sony A550

 H300 A550 
ReleasedFebruary 2014December 2009More modern by 50 months

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony H300

 A550 H300 
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A550 offers outer dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony H300 has proportions of 130mm x 95mm x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8") and a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A550 versus Sony H300 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the A550 compared to the H300.

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A550 and H300 is 63 and 63 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes only by reading specs. The picture here will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A550 and H300.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A550 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony H300 will offer you extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged A550 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony H300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony H300 as a Portrait photography camera
72
focusing manually
good resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
40
megapixel count good (20MP)
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography information
Sony H300 Street photography information
74
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
43
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
heavier than others (590g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography info
Sony H300 Sports photography info
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (480 per charge)
50
amazing zoom range (25-875mm 35.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
offers tracking autofocus
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography information
Sony H300 Travel photography information
52
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (480 per charge)
does not have a selfie friendly display
56
better than average battery (350 shots)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long zoom (875mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
heavier than others (590g)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony H300 as a Landscape photography camera
66
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
bad battery life (480 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
47
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
better than average battery (350 per charge)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A550
Vlogging with Sony H300
9
can't shoot video
24
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
slow maximum aperture (f3)
display isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic socket
heavier than others (590 grams)
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Sony A550 vs Sony H300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony H300
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2009-12-09 2014-02-13
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz(R)
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 5152 x 3864
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-875mm (35.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3-5.9
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 922k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder resolution - 201k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 8.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Flash Off, Advanced Flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30p)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632g (1.39 lbs) 590g (1.30 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 130 x 95 x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photographs 350 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (Off, 10 sec, 2 sec, portrait1, portrait2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $749 $249