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Sony A6500 vs Sony A55

Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74
Sony Alpha a6500 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Revealed October 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A6300
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Later Model is Sony A57
Photography Glossary

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Sony A6500 vs Sony A55, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are built by Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the A6500 (24MP) and A55 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The A6500 was launched 6 years later than the A55 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the A6500 matches up versus the A55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Sony A55

 A6500 A55 
LaunchedOctober 2016August 2010More recent by 75 months
Screen resolution922k921kCrisper screen (+1k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony A6500

 A55 A6500 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A6500 and Sony A55

 A6500 A55 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A6500 features outer dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs) and the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check the Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the A6500 and the A55.

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A6500 and A55 is 81 and 67 respectively.

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements only by going over technical specs. The photograph here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A6500 and A55.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Sony A6500 to offer greater detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more recent A6500 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A6500 Portrait photography factors
Sony A55 Portrait photography factors
80
has manual focus
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
73
has manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A6500
Street photography with Sony A55
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
has touch to focus
weather proof
good high ISO (25,600)
77
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony A6500 Sports photography details
Sony A55 Sports photography details
77
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
has phase detect AF
terrible battery life (350 shots)
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
bad battery power (380 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A6500 Travel photography advice
Sony A55 Travel photography advice
74
weather proof
supports bluetooth
has touch to focus
good MP (24MP)
built-in flash
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
62
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A6500 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A55 Landscape photography highlights
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
terrible battery life (350 shots)
67
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
bad battery power (380 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A6500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
39
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone jack
does not have selfie friendly display
78
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic jack
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Sony A6500 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A6500 and Sony A55
 Sony Alpha a6500Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha a6500 Sony SLT-A55
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2016-10-06 2010-08-24
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6000 x 4000 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 51200 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 425 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 121 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 922k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dot 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting speed 11.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest 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 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 453 grams (1.00 pounds) 500 grams (1.10 pounds)
Dimensions 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 85 73
DXO Color Depth rating 24.5 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.7 12.4
DXO Low light rating 1405 816
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 380 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $1,298 $800