Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 III

Below is a extended analysis of the Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 III, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are sold by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and RX10 III (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and RX10 III (1") possess totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was introduced 7 years earlier than the RX10 III and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple summation of how the A550 grades against the RX10 III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III. The whole galleries are available at Sony A550 Gallery and Sony RX10 III Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A550 comes with outer measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 III has sizing of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") and a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

Check the Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 III in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the A550 and the RX10 III.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and RX10 III is 63 and 53 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by viewing technical specs. The visual below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A550 and RX10 III.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A550 using its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Sony RX10 III will render more detail using its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older A550 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.