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Sony A550 vs Sony W510

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510 front
Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 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
  • Old Model is Sony A100
Sony W510
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 119g - 96 x 54 x 20mm
  • Released January 2011
Photography Glossary

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 Overview

Below, we are looking at the Sony A550 and Sony W510, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both built by Sony. The image resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the W510 (12MP) is fairly similar but the A550 (APS-C) and W510 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The A550 was revealed 13 months prior to the W510 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W510 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the A550 matches up vs the W510 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony W510

 A550 W510 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W510 over the Sony A550

 W510 A550 
ReleasedJanuary 2011December 2009More recent by 13 months

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony W510

 A550 W510 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A550 provides external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony W510 has dimensions of 96mm x 54mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8") with a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A550 and Sony W510 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the A550 against the W510.

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A550 and W510 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements just by going over technical specs. The photograph below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and W510.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A550 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony A550 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older A550 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony W510 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography advice
Sony W510 Portrait photography advice
72
you can focus manually
decent MP (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
21
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography details
Sony W510 Street photography details
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
57
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography information
Sony W510 Sports photography information
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
bad battery power (480 shots)
25
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography highlights
Sony W510 Travel photography highlights
52
decent MP (14MP)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
bad battery power (480 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
58
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
no Timelapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography details
Sony W510 Landscape photography details
66
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
bad battery power (480 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse function
32
quite wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W510 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
29
quite wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
no external microphone port
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Sony A550 vs Sony W510 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony W510
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510
Class Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2009-12-09 2011-01-06
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 4cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 2.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 640x480
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 632g (1.39 lbs) 119g (0.26 lbs)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 96 x 54 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" 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 pictures -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $749 $99