Sony NEX-F3 vs Sony W550

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Sony NEX-F3 and Sony W550, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact and both are produced by Sony. The resolution of the NEX-F3 (16MP) and the W550 (14MP) is fairly close but the NEX-F3 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The NEX-F3 was unveiled 13 months later than the W550 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-F3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the NEX-F3 matches up versus the W550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha NEX-F3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The full galleries are provided at Sony NEX-F3 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-F3 has outer measurements of 117mm x 67mm x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 314 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony W550 has dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check the Sony NEX-F3 and Sony W550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the NEX-F3 against the W550.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-F3 and W550 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by researching specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-F3 and W550.

All in all, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-F3 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony NEX-F3 will result in more detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images much more aggressively. The younger NEX-F3 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.