Clicky

Sony A550 vs Sony A57

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Introduced September 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony A55
  • Newer Model is Sony A58
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Sony A550 vs Sony A57, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras and both are produced by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is pretty comparable and they come with the exact same sensor sizes (APS-C).

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The A550 was introduced 3 years before the A57 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before we go through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the A550 grades versus the A57 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony A57

 A550 A57 
Screen resolution922k921kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Sony A550

 A57 A550 
IntroducedSeptember 2012December 2009More recent by 33 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony A57

 A550 A57 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony A550 comes with physical dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony A57 has proportions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check the Sony A550 vs Sony A57 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the A550 vs the A57.

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and A57 is 63 and 64 respectively.

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements merely by checking out technical specs. The graphic here should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A550 and A57.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You should expect the Sony A57 to provide more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The older A550 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A550
Portrait photography with Sony A57
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW files
74
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Sony A550 Street photography features
Sony A57 Street photography features
74
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
75
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography info
Sony A57 Sports photography info
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
bad battery pack (480 CIPA)
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
sensor has phase detect AF
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A550
Travel photography with Sony A57
52
megapixel count good (14MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
bad battery pack (480 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse function
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography info
Sony A57 Landscape photography info
66
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
bad battery pack (480 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
72
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging factors
Sony A57 Vlogging factors
9
lack of video recording
77
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic port
Cutting-edge AI developed by Apple deciphers subtle nuances in pixels

Sony A550 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony A57
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony SLT-A57
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-12-09 2012-09-13
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 16000
Maximum enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 143 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 922 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options 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
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 618 grams (1.36 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 75
DXO Color Depth score 21.9 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score 11.8 13.0
DXO Low light score 807 785
Other
Battery life 480 shots 550 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $749 $1,000