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Sony A550 vs Sony QX100

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 front
Portability
92
Imaging
51
Features
44
Overall
48

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 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
  • Released December 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony QX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • " Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 179g - 63 x 63 x 56mm
  • Launched September 2013
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Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Sony A550 vs Sony QX100, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Lens-style and both of them are sold by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and QX100 (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and QX100 (1") feature different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the QX100 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony QX100 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the A550 matches up versus the QX100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony QX100

 A550 QX100 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3""Bigger screen (+3")
Screen resolution922k0kClearer screen (+922k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony QX100 over the Sony A550

 QX100 A550 
LaunchedSeptember 2013December 2009More modern by 45 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony QX100

 A550 QX100 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Sony A550 comes with external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony QX100 has sizing of 63mm x 63mm x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2") with a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the A550 vs the QX100.

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A550 and QX100 is 63 and 92 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by seeing specifications. The image here may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and QX100.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A550 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony QX100 will produce more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged A550 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony QX100 as a Portrait photography camera
72
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
53
you can focus manually
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has face detection focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography features
Sony QX100 Street photography features
74
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
71
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
provides focus via touch
no moving screen
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A550
Sports photography with Sony QX100
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (480 shots)
55
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
not so great battery (200 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography information
Sony QX100 Travel photography information
52
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery power (480 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
69
provides focus via touch
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery (200 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography info
Sony QX100 Landscape photography info
66
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
low battery power (480 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
54
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
small screen ( inch)
no manual control
lacks RAW files
not so great battery (200 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
Sony QX100 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no external microphone socket
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Sony A550 vs Sony QX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony QX100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100
Class Entry-Level DSLR Lens-style
Released 2009-12-09 2013-09-05
Physical type Compact SLR Lens-style
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 200 160
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches -
Screen resolution 922k dots 0k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - Depends on connected smartphone
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless None
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632g (1.39 pounds) 179g (0.39 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 63 x 63 x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2")
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 photos 200 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN,
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $749 $268