Sony A550 vs Sony W220

Let's look a bit more closely at the Sony A550 and Sony W220, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Sony. The resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the W220 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the A550 (APS-C) and W220 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A550 was announced 12 months later than the W220 so they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W220 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the A550 matches up against the W220 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220. The whole galleries are available at Sony A550 Gallery and Sony W220 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and size. The Sony A550 comes with exterior measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony W220 has specifications of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A550 and Sony W220 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the A550 and the W220.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and W220 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and W220.

As you can see, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A550 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony A550 will resolve greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The younger A550 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.