Sony A550 vs Sony W560

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Sony A550 and Sony W560, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and both are offered by Sony. The image resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the W560 (14MP) is fairly close but the A550 (APS-C) and W560 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The A550 was released 13 months earlier than the W560 making them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W560 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A550 grades against the W560 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560. The complete galleries are available at Sony A550 Gallery and Sony W560 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A550 has 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 W560 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Compare the Sony A550 and Sony W560 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the A550 compared to the W560.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and W560 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through technical specs. The pic underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and W560.

As you have seen, both of these cameras come with the identical megapixel count but different sensor dimensions. The A550 includes the larger sensor which will make getting shallower DOF easier. The more aged A550 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.