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Sony A550 vs Sony RX10

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Later Model is Sony RX10 II
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Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 Overview

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Sony A550 versus Sony RX10, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and RX10 (1") have different sensor sizes.

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The A550 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the RX10 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick overview of how the A550 scores versus the RX10 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony RX10

 A550 RX10 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Sony A550

 RX10 A550 
RevealedMarch 2014December 2009Newer by 52 months
Display resolution1290k922kSharper display (+368k dot)

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony RX10

 A550 RX10 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A550 has external 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 RX10 has sizing of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Compare the Sony A550 versus Sony RX10 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the A550 vs the RX10.

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A550 and RX10 is 63 and 58 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by going through specs. The picture below may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and RX10.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A550 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Sony RX10 will provide more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged A550 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX10 Portrait photography factors
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
70
you can focus manually
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography info
Sony RX10 Street photography info
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
72
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
weather proof
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography advice
Sony RX10 Sports photography advice
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (480 per charge)
67
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
weather proof
better than average battery power (420 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Travel photography camera
52
MP count good (14MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
not so great battery (480 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
58
better than average battery power (420 shots)
weather proof
good resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography factors
Sony RX10 Landscape photography factors
66
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
not so great battery (480 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
63
you can focus manually
fairly wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
weather proof
better than average battery power (420 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging advice
Sony RX10 Vlogging advice
9
no video recording
30
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic socket
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
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Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony RX10
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-12-09 2014-03-20
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 922 thousand dots 1,290 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - WhiteMagic
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/3200 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 10.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632g (1.39 pounds) 813g (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 69
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 12.6
DXO Low light rating 807 474
Other
Battery life 480 photos 420 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $749 $698