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Sony RX10 vs Sony A55

Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Introduced March 2014
  • Updated by Sony RX10 II
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • New Model is Sony A57
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Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 Overview

In this article, we are analyzing the Sony RX10 vs Sony A55, former being a Large Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are built by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the RX10 (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the RX10 (1") and A55 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The RX10 was manufactured 3 years later than the A55 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the RX10 grades versus the A55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Sony A55

 RX10 A55 
LaunchedMarch 2014August 2010Fresher by 44 months
Display resolution1290k921kClearer display (+369k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony RX10

 A55 RX10 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony RX10 and Sony A55

 RX10 A55 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to 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") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs) while the Sony A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

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

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the RX10 and the A55.

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the RX10 and A55 is 58 and 67 respectively.

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The photograph below may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the RX10 and A55.

All in all, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The RX10 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony RX10 will render greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The younger RX10 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX10 Portrait photography factors
Sony A55 Portrait photography factors
70
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
73
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX10 as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
72
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
77
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sony RX10 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
67
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
environment sealing
great battery pack (420 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (380 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX10 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A55 as a Travel photography camera
58
great battery pack (420 CIPA)
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
62
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse recording
low battery power (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX10 Landscape photography advice
Sony A55 Landscape photography advice
63
has manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery pack (420 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of Time Lapse function
67
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
low battery power (380 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX10 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
30
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external mic support
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone socket
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Sony RX10 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX10 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 Sony SLT-A55
Type Large Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2014-03-20 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 measurements 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
Highest resolution 5472 x 3648 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest boosted ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
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) -
Highest aperture f/2.8 -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 2.7 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,290k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech WhiteMagic -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/3200 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.20 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options 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
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 813g (1.79 lb) 500g (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 69 73
DXO Color Depth score 22.9 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.6 12.4
DXO Low light score 474 816
Other
Battery life 420 photos 380 photos
Form of battery 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 recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $698 $800