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Sony A550 vs YI M1

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
YI M1 front
Portability
87
Imaging
59
Features
66
Overall
61

Sony A550 vs YI M1 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
  • Released December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
YI M1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 350g - 114 x 64 x 34mm
  • Revealed September 2016
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Sony A550 vs YI M1 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Sony A550 versus YI M1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Sony and YI. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the A550 (14MP) and M1 (20MP) and the A550 (APS-C) and M1 (Four Thirds) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The A550 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the M1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the YI M1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the A550 scores vs the M1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the YI M1

 A550 M1 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick YI M1 over the Sony A550

 M1 A550 
RevealedSeptember 2016December 2009More recent by 82 months
Display resolution1040k922kSharper display (+118k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A550 and YI M1

 A550 M1 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A550 vs YI M1 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A550 enjoys external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the YI M1 has specifications of 114mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 350 grams (0.77 lbs).

See the Sony A550 versus YI M1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the A550 versus the M1.

Sony A550 vs YI M1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A550 and M1 is 63 and 87 respectively.

Sony A550 vs YI M1 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs YI M1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The graphic here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A550 and M1.

As you can see, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A550 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the YI M1 will show greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older A550 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A550 vs YI M1 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs YI M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs YI M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
YI M1 Portrait photography factors
72
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
75
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A550
Street photography with YI M1
74
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
73
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
includes touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography information
YI M1 Sports photography information
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (480 per charge)
54
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good battery (450 shots)
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography info
YI M1 Travel photography info
52
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery life (480 per charge)
does not have selfie friendly screen
78
good battery (450 per charge)
connects via bluetooth
includes touch to focus
megapixel count decent (20MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
YI M1 as a Landscape photography camera
66
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
bad battery life (480 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
76
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
good battery (450 shots)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging features
YI M1 Vlogging features
9
can't shoot video
33
has touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
lack of external mic support
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Sony A550 vs YI M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and YI M1
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550YI M1
General Information
Brand Sony YI
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 YI M1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2009-12-09 2016-09-19
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 81
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 143 107
Crop factor 1.5 2.1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 922k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Red-Eye Slow
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 30p / 75 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC
Maximum video resolution None 4096x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 pounds) 350 grams (0.77 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 114 x 64 x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 450 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $749 $320