Sony A550 vs Sony RX100 V

Below is a thorough review of the Sony A550 versus Sony RX100 V, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are offered by Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and RX100 V (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and RX100 V (1") provide totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was introduced 7 years before the RX100 V and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the A550 matches up against the RX100 V when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A550 Gallery & Sony RX100 V Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A550 enjoys 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) and the Sony RX100 V has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A550 versus Sony RX100 V in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the A550 against the RX100 V.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A550 and RX100 V is 63 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over technical specs. The graphic here might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A550 and RX100 V.

As you have seen, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A550 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 V will deliver extra detail using its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.