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Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55

Portability
58
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony RX10 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Launched June 2015
  • Superseded the Sony RX10
  • Newer Model is Sony RX10 III
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
  • Announced August 2010
  • Successor is Sony A57
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Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Overview

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Sony RX10 II and Sony A55, former being a Large Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are offered by Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the RX10 II (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the RX10 II (1") and A55 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The RX10 II was introduced 4 years later than the A55 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief overview of how the RX10 II scores vs the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX10 II over the Sony A55

 RX10 II A55 
AnnouncedJune 2015August 2010Fresher by 59 months
Screen resolution1229k921kCrisper screen (+308k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony RX10 II

 A55 RX10 II 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony RX10 II and Sony A55

 RX10 II A55 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony RX10 II has external dimensions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Sony RX10 II and Sony A55 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the RX10 II versus the A55.

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the RX10 II and A55 is 58 and 67 respectively.

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing merely by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the RX10 II and A55.

As you have seen, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The RX10 II having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony RX10 II will give greater detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The more modern RX10 II should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX10 II Portrait photography advice
Sony A55 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
73
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX10 II Street photography advice
Sony A55 Street photography advice
72
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
environment proof
77
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX10 II Sports photography factors
Sony A55 Sports photography factors
68
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
lack of phase detect autofocus
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
low battery (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX10 II Travel photography info
Sony A55 Travel photography info
56
environment proof
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
62
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Time Lapse mode
low battery (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony RX10 II
Landscape photography with Sony A55
62
has manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
environment proof
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
lack of Timelapse recording
67
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
low battery (380 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX10 II Vlogging features
Sony A55 Vlogging features
31
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection autofocus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone jack
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
78
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic socket
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Sony RX10 II vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX10 II and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IISony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II Sony SLT-A55
Type Large Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2015-06-10 2010-08-24
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 13.2 x 8.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5472 x 3648 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 25 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-200mm (8.3x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8 -
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 2.7 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,229 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dots 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 14.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.20 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 813 gr (1.79 lb) 500 gr (1.10 lb)
Dimensions 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 70 73
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.6 12.4
DXO Low light score 531 816
Other
Battery life 400 photos 380 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $998 $800