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Sony A6400 vs Sony W550

Portability
83
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76
Sony Alpha a6400 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony A6400
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Raise to 102400)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 403g - 120 x 67 x 50mm
  • Revealed January 2019
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
  • Announced July 2011
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Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Overview

Here is a in-depth overview of the Sony A6400 and Sony W550, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact and both are offered by Sony. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the A6400 (24MP) and W550 (14MP) and the A6400 (APS-C) and W550 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The A6400 was brought out 7 years later than the W550 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A6400 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short overview of how the A6400 scores vs the W550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A6400 over the Sony W550

 A6400 W550 
AnnouncedJanuary 2019July 2011Fresher by 92 months
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A6400

 W550 A6400 

Common features in the Sony A6400 and Sony W550

 A6400 W550 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera often, you need to think about its weight and size. The Sony A6400 has exterior dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") with a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs) and the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check out the Sony A6400 and Sony W550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the A6400 against the W550.

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A6400 and W550 is 83 and 96 respectively.

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to envision the difference in sensor sizing simply by looking through technical specs. The visual underneath will offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A6400 and W550.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A6400 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony A6400 will render greater detail having its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent A6400 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A6400 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony W550 as a Portrait photography camera
81
manual focus
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
exports RAW files
28
good resolution (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A6400 Street photography advice
Sony W550 Street photography advice
81
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
environment proofing
good ISO range (32,000)
does not have image stabilization
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A6400 Sports photography features
Sony W550 Sports photography features
76
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A6400 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W550 as a Travel photography camera
87
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
has focus by touch
good MP (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
65
good resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A6400 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W550 as a Landscape photography camera
80
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good ISO range (32,000)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
does not have image stabilization
42
decently wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
lack of manual mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A6400 Vlogging highlights
Sony W550 Vlogging highlights
80
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
includes face detect focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has microphone jack
does not have image stabilization
29
decently wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic support
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Sony A6400 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A6400 and Sony W550
 Sony Alpha a6400Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a6400 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2019-01-15 2011-07-24
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz X 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 24MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 32000 3200
Highest boosted ISO 102400 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 425 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 922 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 11.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.80 m
Flash settings Off, auto, on, slow sync, rear sync, redeye reduction, wireless, hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, XAVC-S MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 403g (0.89 lb) 110g (0.24 lb)
Physical dimensions 120 x 67 x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 83 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 24.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 1431 not tested
Other
Battery life 410 shots -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FW50 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 -
Retail pricing $898 $119