Sony A550 vs Sony HX10V

Here is a extensive overview of the Sony A550 versus Sony HX10V, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Sony. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and HX10V (18MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and HX10V (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The A550 was unveiled 3 years before the HX10V and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX10V being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the A550 grades against the HX10V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V. The full galleries are available at Sony A550 Gallery and Sony HX10V Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and size. The Sony A550 offers physical dimensions 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 HX10V has specifications of 105mm x 60mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 234 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Sony A550 versus Sony HX10V in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the A550 vs the HX10V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and HX10V is 63 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing merely by going over technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and HX10V.

As you can tell, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A550 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX10V will deliver greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.