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Sony A550 vs Sony TX20

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
50
Overall
43

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 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
  • Released December 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony TX20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 133g - 96 x 56 x 18mm
  • Introduced February 2012
Photography Glossary

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Sony A550 and Sony TX20, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact and both are produced by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the TX20 (16MP) is pretty similar but the A550 (APS-C) and TX20 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The A550 was unveiled 3 years prior to the TX20 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX20 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summation of how the A550 scores versus the TX20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony TX20

 A550 TX20 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony TX20 over the Sony A550

 TX20 A550 
IntroducedFebruary 2012December 2009More modern by 27 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony TX20

 A550 TX20 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Screen resolution922k922kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A550 has external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony TX20 has measurements of 96mm x 56mm x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check the Sony A550 and Sony TX20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the A550 versus the TX20.

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and TX20 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes simply by reviewing technical specs. The picture below may give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and TX20.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A550 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony TX20 will deliver extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged A550 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Portrait photography camera
72
manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
40
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focusing
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A550
Street photography with Sony TX20
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
67
image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus via touch
weather proof
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A550
Sports photography with Sony TX20
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
low battery power (480 CIPA)
50
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
better than average battery pack (250 CIPA)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography advice
Sony TX20 Travel photography advice
52
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low battery power (480 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
72
better than average battery pack (250 shots)
weather proof
offers focus via touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Landscape photography camera
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
low battery power (480 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
52
you can focus manually
pretty wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
weather proof
better than average battery pack (250 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A550
Vlogging with Sony TX20
9
no video
35
pretty wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone socket
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Sony A550 vs Sony TX20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony TX20
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2009-12-09 2012-02-28
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-4.6
Macro focus range - 1cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 922k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 lbs) 133 grams (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 96 x 56 x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 250 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $749 $330