Sony A550 vs Sony RX10 IV

Let's take a closer look at the Sony A550 and Sony RX10 IV, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both of them are offered by Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and RX10 IV (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and RX10 IV (1") have different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was introduced 8 years prior to the RX10 IV and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the A550 matches up vs the RX10 IV in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony A550 provides exterior 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) and the Sony RX10 IV has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") along with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Examine the Sony A550 and Sony RX10 IV in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the A550 versus the RX10 IV.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and RX10 IV is 63 and 52 respectively.

Normally, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at specifications. The graphic here may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and RX10 IV.

To sum up, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A550 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX10 IV will give more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.