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Sony A550 vs Sony S2100

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
Sony S2100
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-105mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 61 x 27mm
  • Released January 2010
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Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Sony A550 vs Sony S2100, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the S2100 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the A550 (APS-C) and S2100 (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was launched at a similar time to the S2100 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S2100 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the A550 scores against the S2100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony S2100

 A550 S2100 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S2100 over the Sony A550

 S2100 A550 

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony S2100

 A550 S2100 
ReleasedDecember 2009January 2010Same generation
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A550 enjoys outer measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony S2100 has sizing of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the A550 compared to the S2100.

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and S2100 is 63 and 93 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes simply by checking out specifications. The pic below might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and S2100.

Plainly, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A550 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony A550 will provide greater detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively.

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A550
Portrait photography with Sony S2100
72
focusing manually
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A550
Street photography with Sony S2100
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
46
fixed screen
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography highlights
Sony S2100 Sports photography highlights
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
low battery pack (480 shots)
17
max shutter speed is low (1/1,200 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Travel photography camera
52
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
low battery pack (480 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
50
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography highlights
Sony S2100 Landscape photography highlights
66
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (480 shots)
missing Timelapse mode
27
nice screen size (3 inch)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A550
Vlogging with Sony S2100
9
can't record video
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external microphone support
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Sony A550 vs Sony S2100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony S2100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-12-09 2010-01-07
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-105mm (3.2x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 922k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 1s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1200s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 640x480
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 98 x 61 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
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 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, optional SD, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $749 $0