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Sony A550 vs Sony TX55

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 front
Portability
97
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 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
  • Released December 2009
  • Older Model is Sony A100
Sony TX55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Announced July 2011
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Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Sony A550 and Sony TX55, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and they are both designed by Sony. The image resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the TX55 (16MP) is fairly close but the A550 (APS-C) and TX55 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The A550 was unveiled 19 months prior to the TX55 making them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX55 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the A550 grades against the TX55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony TX55

 A550 TX55 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony TX55 over the Sony A550

 TX55 A550 
AnnouncedJuly 2011December 2009More modern by 19 months
Display size3.3"3"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1230k922kSharper display (+308k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony TX55

 A550 TX55 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A550 provides external measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony TX55 has sizing of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") having a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Compare the Sony A550 and Sony TX55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the A550 against the TX55.

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and TX55 is 63 and 97 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes purely by researching technical specs. The picture below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A550 and TX55.

As you can tell, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A550 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony TX55 will provide you with greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged A550 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography info
Sony TX55 Portrait photography info
72
manual focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
36
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
Sony TX55 as a Street photography camera
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
58
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography highlights
Sony TX55 Sports photography highlights
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery life (480 CIPA)
44
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
great battery life (250 per charge)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
Sony TX55 as a Travel photography camera
52
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery life (480 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
69
great battery life (250 per charge)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography details
Sony TX55 Landscape photography details
66
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
not so great battery life (480 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
50
you can focus manually
relatively wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3.3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
great battery life (250 per charge)
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging advice
Sony TX55 Vlogging advice
9
can't record video
34
relatively wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not offer selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone socket
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Sony A550 vs Sony TX55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony TX55
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
Class Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2009-12-09 2011-07-24
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 surface area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias 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
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3.3 inch
Resolution of display 922k dots 1,230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - XtraFine OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632g (1.39 lbs) 109g (0.24 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 not tested
DXO Low light rating 807 not tested
Other
Battery life 480 images 250 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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 microSD/SDHC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $749 $350