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Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55

Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced May 2014
  • Old Model is Sony RX100 II
  • New Model is Sony RX100 IV
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Successor is Sony A57
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Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Overview

Following is a detailed review of the Sony RX100 III versus Sony A55, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are sold by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the RX100 III (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the RX100 III (1") and A55 (APS-C) have different sensor dimensions.

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The RX100 III was manufactured 3 years after the A55 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the RX100 III scores vs the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony A55

 RX100 III A55 
IntroducedMay 2014August 2010More modern by 46 months
Screen resolution1229k921kSharper screen (+308k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony RX100 III

 A55 RX100 III 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen

Common features in the Sony RX100 III and Sony A55

 RX100 III A55 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Sony RX100 III offers external measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs) and the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check the Sony RX100 III versus Sony A55 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the RX100 III compared to the A55.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the RX100 III and A55 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizes simply by going through technical specs. The pic below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the RX100 III and A55.

As you have seen, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The RX100 III featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Sony RX100 III will provide extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more recent RX100 III provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 III Portrait photography details
Sony A55 Portrait photography details
64
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
offers face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
no external flash support
73
you can focus manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 III Street photography information
Sony A55 Street photography information
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors (290 grams)
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 III Sports photography information
Sony A55 Sports photography information
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
offers tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
not so great battery life (380 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 III Travel photography features
Sony A55 Travel photography features
85
lighter than competitors (290 grams)
good resolution (20MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
relatively wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
62
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 III Landscape photography highlights
Sony A55 Landscape photography highlights
73
you can focus manually
relatively wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
67
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
not so great battery life (380 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony RX100 III
Vlogging with Sony A55
80
relatively wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors (290 grams)
doesn't have microphone support
78
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external mic socket
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Sony RX100 III vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 III and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IIISony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III Sony SLT-A55
Type Large Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2014-05-15 2010-08-24
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 surface area 116.2mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5472 x 3648 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 25 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-70mm (2.9x) -
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.8 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 2.7 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,229k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.59x 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/2000 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 290 grams (0.64 lbs) 500 grams (1.10 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 67 73
DXO Color Depth score 22.4 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 12.4
DXO Low light score 495 816
Other
Battery life 320 photos 380 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $748 $800