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Sony A550 vs Sony HX5

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 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
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Sony HX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Launched June 2010
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Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 Overview

Below is a in-depth overview of the Sony A550 vs Sony HX5, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and HX5 (1/2.4") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The A550 was revealed 6 months earlier than the HX5 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the A550 matches up against the HX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony HX5

 A550 HX5 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Sony A550

 HX5 A550 

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony HX5

 A550 HX5 
LaunchedDecember 2009June 2010Same age
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A550 enjoys outside 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) whilst the Sony HX5 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check the Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the A550 compared to the HX5.

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and HX5 is 63 and 92 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements merely by researching a spec sheet. The graphic below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A550 and HX5.

As you can see, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A550 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony A550 will render more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics way more aggressively.

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography features
Sony HX5 Portrait photography features
72
manual focus
decent megapixels (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
19
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography features
Sony HX5 Street photography features
74
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
55
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography highlights
Sony HX5 Sports photography highlights
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
bad battery pack (480 per charge)
26
image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.4")
has no phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Travel photography camera
52
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (480 shots)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
60
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography highlights
Sony HX5 Landscape photography highlights
66
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
bad battery pack (480 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
37
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX5 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
31
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing mic support
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Sony A550 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony HX5
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-12-09 2010-06-16
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.4"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4592 x 3056 3456 x 2592
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 922k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632g (1.39 lb) 200g (0.44 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
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 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $749 $275