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Sony A550 vs Sony W380

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W380 front
Portability
96
Imaging
36
Features
25
Overall
31

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 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
  • Launched December 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony W380
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.4-5.9) lens
  • 117g - 91 x 52 x 20mm
  • Announced January 2010
Photography Glossary

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Sony A550 vs Sony W380, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are manufactured by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the W380 (14MP) is relatively well matched but the A550 (APS-C) and W380 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The A550 was unveiled at a similar time to the W380 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W380 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the A550 grades vs the W380 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony W380

 A550 W380 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W380 over the Sony A550

 W380 A550 

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony W380

 A550 W380 
AnnouncedDecember 2009January 2010Similar age
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A550 offers exterior measurements 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 W380 has sizing of 91mm x 52mm x 20mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A550 vs Sony W380 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the A550 vs the W380.

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and W380 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing only by checking specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A550 and W380.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor sizing. The A550 offers the bigger sensor which will make achieving bokeh less difficult.

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony W380 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography info
Sony W380 Portrait photography info
72
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
28
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography details
Sony W380 Street photography details
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography info
Sony W380 Sports photography info
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (480 shots)
34
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
low fps (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography info
Sony W380 Travel photography info
52
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery power (480 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
65
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
no Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W380 as a Landscape photography camera
66
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
low battery power (480 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
37
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.4)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging features
Sony W380 Vlogging features
9
lack of video recording
29
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.4)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone jack
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Sony A550 vs Sony W380 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony W380
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W380
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W380
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Launched 2009-12-09 2010-01-07
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
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 area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.4-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 4.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 gr (1.39 pounds) 117 gr (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 91 x 52 x 20mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.8")
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 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 sec or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo / Pro HG-Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $749 $44