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Sony RX10 vs Sony W550

Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Newer Model is Sony RX10 II
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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
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Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Sony RX10 versus Sony W550, former being a Large Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both produced by Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the RX10 (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the RX10 (1") and W550 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The RX10 was introduced 2 years later than the W550 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the RX10 scores vs the W550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Sony W550

 RX10 W550 
AnnouncedMarch 2014July 2011More recent by 33 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1290k230kSharper screen (+1060k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony RX10

 W550 RX10 

Common features in the Sony RX10 and Sony W550

 RX10 W550 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you should think about its weight and size. The Sony RX10 features physical measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs) while the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Analyze the Sony RX10 versus Sony W550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the RX10 against the W550.

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the RX10 and W550 is 58 and 96 respectively.

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by checking technical specs. The photograph underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the RX10 and W550.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The RX10 having a bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony RX10 will give greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The fresher RX10 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX10 Portrait photography factors
Sony W550 Portrait photography factors
70
manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
features face detect focus
exports RAW files
28
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony RX10 Street photography info
Sony W550 Street photography info
72
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
environment proofing
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony RX10
Sports photography with Sony W550
67
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
environment proofing
better than average battery power (420 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX10 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W550 as a Travel photography camera
58
better than average battery power (420 per charge)
environment proofing
decent MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (24mm)
no Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
65
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (26mm)
no Timelapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX10 Landscape photography advice
Sony W550 Landscape photography advice
63
manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
environment proofing
better than average battery power (420 per charge)
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no Time Lapse function
42
pretty wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX10 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W550 as a Vlogging camera
30
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic jack
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
29
pretty wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone support
Photography Glossary

Sony RX10 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX10 and Sony W550
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Large Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Revealed 2014-03-20 2011-07-24
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz X BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5472 x 3648 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-200mm (8.3x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.8 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,290k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech WhiteMagic Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/3200s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.20 m 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 813 gr (1.79 lb) 110 gr (0.24 lb)
Physical dimensions 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 69 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 474 not tested
Other
Battery life 420 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FW50 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single -
Price at launch $698 $119