Sony H20 vs Sony A55

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Sony H20 versus Sony A55, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both built by Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the H20 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the H20 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The H20 was introduced 15 months before the A55 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony H20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the H20 matches up versus the A55 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 and Sony SLT-A55. The whole galleries are available at Sony H20 Gallery and Sony A55 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony H20 features exterior dimensions of 107mm x 69mm x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Sony H20 versus Sony A55 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the H20 compared to the A55.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the H20 and A55 is 87 and 67 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by going through specs. The pic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the H20 and A55.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The H20 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sony A55 will produce more detail using its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged H20 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.