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Sony A550 vs Sony S950

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 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
  • Announced December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Launched February 2009
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Sony A550 vs Sony S950 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Sony A550 and Sony S950, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and S950 (10MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The A550 was manufactured 10 months later than the S950 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a short highlight of how the A550 grades against the S950 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony S950

 A550 S950 
LaunchedDecember 2009February 2009More recent by 10 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony A550

 S950 A550 

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony S950

 A550 S950 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Sony A550 provides external 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) whilst the Sony S950 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Sony A550 and Sony S950 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the A550 compared to the S950.

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and S950 is 63 and 94 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements merely by checking specifications. The photograph below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and S950.

To sum up, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A550 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony A550 will resolve more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics way more aggressively. The fresher A550 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony S950 as a Portrait photography camera
72
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
26
manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography highlights
Sony S950 Street photography highlights
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen is fixed
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A550
Sports photography with Sony S950
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
bad battery power (480 per charge)
24
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography factors
Sony S950 Travel photography factors
52
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
bad battery power (480 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
low MP (10MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography details
Sony S950 Landscape photography details
66
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
bad battery power (480 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse mode
31
manual focus
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A550
Vlogging with Sony S950
9
can't shoot video
9
can't shoot video
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Sony A550 vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony S950
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-12-09 2009-02-17
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Maximum video resolution None None
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $749 $130