Sony A550 vs Sony HX80

The following is a in-depth overview of the Sony A550 vs Sony HX80, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both sold by Sony. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and HX80 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was manufactured 7 years earlier than the HX80 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the A550 scores against the HX80 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The entire galleries are available at Sony A550 Gallery and Sony HX80 Gallery.

In case you're intending to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony A550 features external 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 HX80 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A550 vs Sony HX80 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the A550 against the HX80.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and HX80 is 63 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to see the gap in sensor dimensions merely by checking out a spec sheet. The picture underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and HX80.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The A550 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX80 will produce more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged A550 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.