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Sony A550 vs Sony A55

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 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
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released August 2010
  • Updated by Sony A57
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Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Sony A550 and Sony A55, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras and both are sold by Sony. The resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty comparable and they feature the same exact sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A550 was revealed 8 months prior to the A55 which means that they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the A550 matches up vs the A55 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A55

 A550 A55 
Screen resolution922k921kSharper screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony A550

 A55 A550 
ReleasedAugust 2010December 2009Fresher by 8 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A55

 A550 A55 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A550 has got physical measurements 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 A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Look at the Sony A550 and Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the A550 versus the A55.

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and A55 is 63 and 67 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing purely by checking out specs. The graphic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can expect the Sony A55 to produce more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older A550 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography details
Sony A55 Portrait photography details
72
focusing manually
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
73
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography information
Sony A55 Street photography information
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A550
Sports photography with Sony A55
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery (480 CIPA)
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
low battery power (380 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography highlights
Sony A55 Travel photography highlights
52
decent megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (480 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
62
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse function
low battery power (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A55 as a Landscape photography camera
66
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
terrible battery (480 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
67
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
low battery power (380 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video recording
78
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external microphone support
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Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony A55
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony SLT-A55
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2009-12-09 2010-08-24
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 922 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 500 grams (1.10 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 73
DXO Color Depth rating 21.9 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 12.4
DXO Low light rating 807 816
Other
Battery life 480 photographs 380 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $749 $800