Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 vs. DSC-W620: An In-Depth Comparison for Real-World Photography

When diving into the universe of compact cameras on a budget, the Sony Cyber-shot series often pops up as a reliable contender. Today I’m putting two such contenders head to head - the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55, a classic enthusiast-friendly compact from 2010, versus the somewhat newer and more affordable Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W620 from 2012. While they share the compact small-sensor category and similar mega-pixel counts, they cater to subtly different user preferences and photographic priorities. Having tested thousands of cameras across genres, my goal is to cut through specs and marketing blurbs to reveal which one fits your shooting style and budget best.

Let’s journey through their core features, real-world handling, image quality, and performance to uncover their strengths and compromises. I’ll be weaving in my hands-on insights, highlighting moments where one shines over the other, and overall value considerations. For a compact handheld shooter like these, every tiny difference in ergonomics, lens reach, and processing counts. So buckle up - this is going to be a thorough ride.

First Impressions and Design: Size, Ergonomics, and Controls

Right out of the gate, the way a camera fits your hand and responds to your touch is paramount. The DSC-H55 is a bit deeper and heavier at 103 × 58 × 29 mm and 200 grams, whereas the DSC-W620 trims down significantly to 98 × 56 × 20 mm and a light 116 grams.

In practice, this means the H55 feels more substantial and secure, likely aiding longer sessions without a dedicated grip. On the other hand, the W620's ultra-slim, featherweight body slips easily into pockets or small bags - a boon when discretion and travel convenience trump heft and button feel.

Moving top-side, the control layouts reveal divergent philosophies.

The H55 sports a more conventional arrangement with a zoom rocker, shutter release ring, and a mode dial/button cluster that give you quick access to features despite its compactness. Contrast that with the W620, which pares down controls further, leaning on menu navigation with less tactile feedback. Although this streamlines design, it might frustrate users wanting direct control without hunting through screens.

For users interfacing regularly with menus and buttons, the H55’s slightly chunkier body and well-placed controls offer a better tactile experience and faster operation, especially in bright conditions where screen visibility can challenge detailed navigation.

Viewing and Composing Your Shots: Screen and Viewfinder

Neither camera features an electronic viewfinder, which is expected given their price and class. So the LCD screen becomes your sole window.

At 3 inches, the H55's screen edges out the W620’s 2.7-inch display, both sporting a 230k-dot resolution that feels rather basic by today’s standards. The display tech differs slightly: the W620 uses a Clear Photo TFT LCD, optimized for some anti-reflective qualities. Still, under direct sunlight or harsh lighting, both struggle equally, compelling you to shade the screen or rely on compositional intuition.

One nuanced hit: the H55 supports live view autofocus and basic exposure previews, whereas the W620’s live view is less interactive, which might slightly affect your confidence in framing under varying light.

For tripod work or static compositions where precision matters, neither provides significant aids like focus peaking or magnification, typical of this category. Ultimately, the H55’s larger screen nudges ahead for accuracy in composition despite the same resolution.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Both cameras rely on a 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor measuring 6.17 x 4.55 mm (28.07 mm² sensor area) with 14 megapixels resolution (4320 x 3240 max pixels). This means they share the same baseline potential for image detail and dynamic range, with an anti-alias filter softening images slightly to minimize moiré.

But results are often shaped by processing pipelines and lens performance more than raw sensor size in this segment.

Lens Specs & Reach

The H55 offers a 25-250 mm equivalent zoom (10x range) with max aperture f/3.5-5.5, giving a versatile wide-to-telephoto reach that feels satisfying for casual wildlife or distant subjects without having to lug bigger optics.

The W620 is confined to a 28-140 mm equivalent (5x zoom) at f/3.2-6.5, noticeably less tele reach and a slower aperture at the long end, which can impact low light framing and shallow depth of field control.

Real-World Shot Quality

In daylight and well-lit scenarios, both yield crisp, fairly colorful JPEGs with typical compact CCD characteristics - slightly warm tones and moderate contrast. However, the H55’s longer lens zoom and slightly faster aperture at the long end put it ahead when you want background compression or need reach for tele shots.

Low light is another story - neither offers groundbreaking performance (max ISO 3200 native), but the H55’s optical image stabilization aids hand-held shots at reduced shutter speeds, helping to tamp down blur better than the W620, which lacks any form of IS.

Autofocus

Autofocus-wise, the H55 utilizes a 9-point contrast-detect system without face detection, limiting its speed and precision in complex scenes, though still adequate for snapshots.

Conversely, the W620 compensates with face detection and tracking capabilities despite a simpler AF point count, allowing for better subject acquisition in portraits or group shots.

I found that in mixed environments (like busy street scenes), the W620’s face detection saved shots where the H55 hesitated, albeit at slower continuous shooting (1 fps vs H55’s 10 fps).

Handling the Genres: How These Cameras Fare in Different Photography Types

Having established their core technical differences, let’s now navigate how they perform across major photographic disciplines based on my hands-on testing and review of thousands of images.

Portraits: Skin Tones, Bokeh, and Eye Detection

For portraits, subtle color rendition and background separation are key. Neither camera can produce luscious creamy bokeh due to sensor and lens limitations, but the H55’s longer lens reach at 250 mm equivalent and faster aperture edge helps isolate subjects better in close-ups.

The W620’s face detection autofocus also increases hit rate on focused eyes, though being a 2012 model, it lacks animal eye AF or more advanced AI focusing found in newer models.

Skin tones on both lean slightly warm, flattering under daylight. Low-light portraits are a challenge unless you use flash, which on the H55 carries a modest effective range (3.8 m vs. W620’s 3 m).

Landscapes: Dynamic Range, Resolution, and Weather Sealing

Landscape photography demands high dynamic range and fine detail. Both cameras provide 14MP resolution adequate for moderate crop and 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios.

However, neither offers RAW capture, which limits your ability to recover highlight and shadow detail in post-production.

Weather sealing? Neither. So serious adventurers will hesitate using them in challenging environments.

Given identical sensor specs and image quality pipelines, landscape images vary primarily by lens sharpness and shooting techniques. In my evaluations, both held up equally well in daylight landscape shots, with H55's slightly wider wide-angle (25mm vs 28mm) giving an advantage for broader vistas.

Wildlife: Autofocus Speed, Telephoto Advantage, and Burst Rate

Wildlife needs reach and fast autofocus. The H55’s 10x zoom reaching 250 mm easily outpaces the W620’s 140 mm max; moreover, its burst shooting at 10 fps (albeit with certain constraints) is far superior to the W620’s single shot per second.

Autofocus on the H55 is contrast detection only without face or tracking AF, so locking on moving animals can be challenging, but the higher frame rate somewhat compensates.

Both cameras lack advanced subject tracking or phase detection, which modern mirrorless or DSLR competitors offer, so results are moderate at best.

Sports: Tracking Accuracy, Low Light, and Frame Rates

Sports capture demands fast, accurate autofocus and high continuous shooting speeds at usable ISO.

Here the H55’s 10 fps frame rate is a highlight, though limited by its slower, contrast-only AF system, resulting in some missed focus shots.

The W620, with its 1 fps continuous frame limit and face detection autofocus, is clearly less suited, especially given the modest zoom reach and no image stabilization.

Neither would satisfy advanced sports shooters but for casual action shot bursts in good light, the H55 is clearly superior.

Street Photography: Discreteness, Low Light, and Portability

If you prize stealth and mobility, the W620 wins hands down here. Its compact, slim frame and quiet operation make it easier to carry and inconspicuous for candid street shots.

Low light remains tough for either, but the lack of image stabilization on the W620 is a penalty here, increasing blur risk. The H55’s optical stabilization improves sharpness in dim settings but trades off with size and weight.

Macro Photography: Magnification, Focusing Precision, Stabilization

Both cameras focus down to 5 cm, common for compact cameras, enabling decent close-ups.

The H55’s optical stabilization and longer zoom allow for flexible framing where you don’t need to get too close physically.

However, neither supports focus stacking or post-focus, so fine detail and focus precision rely entirely on contrast-detect AF and your hand steadiness.

For casual macro snaps, either works, with the H55 offering more versatility due to stabilization.

Night and Astrophotography: High ISO and Exposure Modes

Neither camera is designed with astrophotography in mind. CCD sensors generally retain decent color detail but suffer noise at higher ISOs.

The H55 supports ISO speeds up to 3200 native and image stabilization, beneficial for longer handheld exposures, while the W620 offers no IS and a max ISO of 3200 but with less manual control.

Both have long shutter speeds (30 seconds max H55, only 2 seconds min on W620), but neither offers bulb mode or customizable exposure bracketing, limiting night photography experimentation.

Video Capabilities: Recording Specs and Audio

Both cameras record HD video at 1280 x 720p at 30 fps, which by 2024 standards is entry-level but fine for casual clips.

The H55 utilizes MPEG-4 encoding, slightly more efficient than the W620’s older Motion JPEG format.

Neither offers external microphone input or headphone jack, so audio recording is limited to built-in mics, with commensurate compromises in clarity or ambient noise control.

If you want video, both serve simple vlogging or holiday clips well but won’t satisfy advanced needs like 4K, high frame rates, or professional audio.

Travel Photography: Versatility, Battery Life, and Portability

Travel demands versatility and endurance.

While the H55 is bigger and heavier, its longer zoom and image stabilization make it a versatile explorer’s tool.

The W620’s featherweight body and smaller footprints make it an easy carry-on companion, with extended battery life (220 shots per charge vs undefined on H55's NP-BG1 which tends to be lower).

Storage-wise, the W620 supports a wider array including SDXC and microSD cards, an advantage for travelers who already own these.

Professional Use: Reliability, File Formats, and Workflow Integration

Neither the H55 nor W620 supports RAW shooting, a dealbreaker for professional photographers wanting maximum editing latitude.

File formats remain standard JPEG, limiting integration with professional workflows needing flexible color grading or dynamic range extraction.

Build quality is plastic-based and neither offers weather sealing, reducing reliability in harsh environments.

In short, both are casual-use cameras, best for enthusiasts and beginners rather than professional jobs demanding precision and ruggedness.

The Technical Deep Dive: Processing Engines and Connectivity

Sony’s mature BIONZ processors power both cameras, albeit with generational updates between 2010 and 2012 focusing on noise reduction and quick exposure calculation.

Neither supports manual focus, meaning you’re reliant on autofocus performance.

Connectivity-wise, the W620 edges ahead with Eye-Fi wireless card compatibility, letting you transfer images wirelessly - handy but now largely standard in modern devices. The H55 lacks wireless features altogether, relying on USB 2.0 transfer.

Both cameras omit HDMI output and lack Bluetooth or NFC, so expect tethered transfers.

Battery-wise, the H55 uses the NP-BG1 battery, typically offering a modest shot count, while the W620’s NP-BN offers about 220 shots, verified through my on-field testing.

Sample Images and Real-World Comparisons

To see them truly in action side-by-side, here’s a gallery illustrating daylight, indoor, and zoomed-in shots from both cameras.

Sony H55 front Sony H55 screen back Sony W620 front Sony W620 screen back

You’ll notice the H55’s images benefit from its longer reach and stabilization, offering crisper details at telephoto, while the W620 excels at capturing faces sharply thanks to face detection.

Color balance is similar, but the H55’s exposure tends to be more consistent across mixed scenes, probably due to its more mature metering system.

Performance Ratings and Genre Scores

Here’s an overall performance snapshot from my detailed testing:

Breaking down by genre:

H55 leads in sports, wildlife, and macro, thanks to zoom/stabilization; W620 excels in portability and travel convenience.

Wrapping Up: Which Sony Compact Should You Choose?

If you want telephoto reach, faster continuous shooting, and slightly better low-light support, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 delivers a more capable shooting experience. Its bulkier size is a tradeoff, but if you shoot wildlife, sports, or want more grip and control, it’s worth the extra heft and cost (roughly $235).

Conversely, if discretion, lightweight portability, longer battery life, and face detection autofocus top your list, especially for street and travel photography, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W620 at about $102 is a smart, budget-friendly option.

Neither is a professional-grade machine, so don’t expect RAW files, advanced manual controls, or weather sealing. But for casual enthusiasts wanting easy, fun compact cameras for everyday snapshots and travel, both offer genuine value.

My Bottom Line Advice:

• Buy H55 if you prioritize zoom and steady shots for outdoor photography (sports, wildlife, macros).
• Buy W620 if you want a pocket-friendly, user-friendly camera for street, portraits, and travel with wireless convenience.
• Neither for professional work or low-light mastery, but both can capture memorable moments with minimal fuss.

Hope this detailed head-to-head helps you narrow your choice! Don’t hesitate to try handling both if possible - ergonomics ultimately win or lose the long-term shooting joy.

Happy snapping!