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Sony a3500 vs Sony W550

Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59
Sony Alpha a3500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A3000
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Overview

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Sony a3500 and Sony W550, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are created by Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the a3500 (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the a3500 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

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The a3500 was manufactured 2 years after the W550 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the a3500 matches up vs the W550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Sony W550

 a3500 W550 
RevealedMarch 2014July 2011Newer by 33 months
Manually focus More exact focusing

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony a3500

 W550 a3500 

Common features in the Sony a3500 and Sony W550

 a3500 W550 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony a3500 offers exterior dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Sony W550 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

See the Sony a3500 and Sony W550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the a3500 versus the W550.

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the a3500 and W550 is 69 and 96 respectively.

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions merely by looking at specs. The pic underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the a3500 and W550.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The a3500 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony a3500 will give you extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger a3500 provides an advantage in sensor technology.

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a3500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony W550 as a Portrait photography camera
77
focusing manually
good resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
28
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony a3500
Street photography with Sony W550
57
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (411g)
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony a3500
Sports photography with Sony W550
60
good resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
good battery (470 CIPA)
slow fps (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony a3500 Travel photography features
Sony W550 Travel photography features
60
good battery (470 per charge)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
more heavy than competition in class (411g)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
65
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony a3500 Landscape photography details
Sony W550 Landscape photography details
70
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
good battery (470 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
no Timelapse recording
42
pretty wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony a3500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W550 as a Vlogging camera
26
has face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
no microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (411g)
29
pretty wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
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Sony a3500 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a3500 and Sony W550
 Sony Alpha a3500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha a3500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Released 2014-03-21 2011-07-24
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip BIONZ image BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5456 x 3632 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 16000 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT LCD Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) 3.80 m
Flash options Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 411g (0.91 lb) 110g (0.24 lb)
Physical dimensions 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 470 images -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FW50 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage - SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 -
Cost at launch $398 $119