Sony A550 vs Sony A55
63 Imaging
54 Features
65 Overall
58
67 Imaging
56 Features
80 Overall
65
Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(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- Superseded the Sony A100
(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
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).
Photography GlossaryThe 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.
Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 & Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are available at Sony A550 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A55
A550 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 922k | 921k | Sharper screen (+1k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony A550
A55 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2010 | December 2009 | Fresher by 8 months | |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen | |
Selfie screen | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A55
A550 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | Very accurate focus | |||
Screen sizing | 3" | 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.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.
Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and A55 is 63 and 67 respectively.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Sony A550 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | Sony 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 |