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Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony RX100 VA
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed July 2018
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
  • Revealed July 2011
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Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Sony RX100 VA and Sony W550, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Ultracompact and both are designed by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the RX100 VA (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the RX100 VA (1") and W550 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The RX100 VA was introduced 7 years after the W550 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick summary of how the RX100 VA grades versus the W550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VA over the Sony W550

 RX100 VA W550 
RevealedJuly 2018July 2011More modern by 85 months
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony RX100 VA

 W550 RX100 VA 

Common features in the Sony RX100 VA and Sony W550

 RX100 VA W550 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and size. The Sony RX100 VA enjoys outer measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") with a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony RX100 VA and Sony W550 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the RX100 VA against the W550.

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the RX100 VA and W550 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizes simply by going through a spec sheet. The picture here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the RX100 VA and W550.

Clearly, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The RX100 VA having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 VA will show more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The fresher RX100 VA provides an edge in sensor technology.

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 VA Portrait photography information
Sony W550 Portrait photography information
66
focusing manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
28
good MP (14MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 VA Street photography factors
Sony W550 Street photography factors
86
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than competitors (299g)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 VA Sports photography highlights
Sony W550 Sports photography highlights
70
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
high fps (24.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
has tracking focus
has phase detect autofocus
low battery pack (220 per charge)
35
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
slow frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 VA Travel photography information
Sony W550 Travel photography information
76
lighter than competitors (299g)
good megapixels (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
quite wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
65
good MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 VA as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W550 as a Landscape photography camera
66
focusing manually
quite wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low battery pack (220 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
42
quite wide (26mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
no manual control
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 VA Vlogging details
Sony W550 Vlogging details
81
quite wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than competitors (299 grams)
doesn't have microphone support
29
quite wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone support
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Sony RX100 VA vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 VA and Sony W550
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Category Large Sensor Compact Ultracompact
Revealed 2018-07-13 2011-07-24
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip 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 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 5472 x 3648 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Max enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW photos
Lowest enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 315 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-70mm (2.9x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.8 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus distance 5cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 2.7 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,229k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.59x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 24.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.20 m (at Auto ISO) 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/2000 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 299g (0.66 pounds) 110g (0.24 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 shots -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single -
Retail cost $998 $119