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Sony HX9V vs Sony W550

Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony HX9V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 245g - 105 x 59 x 34mm
  • Released July 2011
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
Photography Glossary

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Sony HX9V and Sony W550, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are offered by Sony. The resolution of the HX9V (16MP) and the W550 (14MP) is very well matched and both cameras posses the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The HX9V was manufactured about the same time to the W550 and they are of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick view of how the HX9V grades against the W550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony HX9V over the Sony W550

 HX9V W550 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony HX9V

 W550 HX9V 

Common features in the Sony HX9V and Sony W550

 HX9V W550 
AnnouncedJuly 2011July 2011Similar age
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony HX9V offers outer measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Look at the Sony HX9V and Sony W550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the HX9V compared to the W550.

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the HX9V and W550 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the HX9V and W550.

Clearly, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Sony HX9V to give you greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics more aggressively.

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony HX9V Portrait photography information
Sony W550 Portrait photography information
39
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
28
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony HX9V as a Street photography camera
Sony W550 as a Street photography camera
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (245g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony HX9V Sports photography information
Sony W550 Sports photography information
44
excellent zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
low fps (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony HX9V Travel photography highlights
Sony W550 Travel photography highlights
69
lighter than competition (245g)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
very long reach (384mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
65
MP count good (14MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony HX9V Landscape photography advice
Sony W550 Landscape photography advice
49
you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
42
fairly wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
manual mode not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony HX9V Vlogging features
Sony W550 Vlogging features
33
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (245 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have mic support
29
fairly wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic support
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Sony HX9V vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony HX9V and Sony W550
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9VSony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Released 2011-07-19 2011-07-24
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-384mm (16.0x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.3-5.9 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 921 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology XtraFine LCD display with TruBlack technology Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 245g (0.54 lb) 110g (0.24 lb)
Physical dimensions 105 x 59 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 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 ID NP-BG1 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single -
Retail price $328 $119