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Sony RX100 vs Sony W550

Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Released August 2012
  • Newer Model is Sony RX100 II
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 vs Sony W550 Overview

Below is a extended overview of the Sony RX100 and Sony W550, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both sold by Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the RX100 (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the RX100 (1") and W550 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The RX100 was introduced 14 months later than the W550 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summation of how the RX100 grades versus the W550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony W550

 RX100 W550 
RevealedAugust 2012July 2011More recent by 14 months
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony RX100

 W550 RX100 

Common features in the Sony RX100 and Sony W550

 RX100 W550 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Sony RX100 offers physical measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and 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).

Contrast the Sony RX100 and Sony W550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the RX100 vs the W550.

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the RX100 and W550 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements purely by viewing specifications. The photograph below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the RX100 and W550.

To sum up, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The RX100 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 will result in more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent RX100 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony RX100
Portrait photography with Sony W550
64
manual focus
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
28
megapixel count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 as a Street photography camera
Sony W550 as a Street photography camera
79
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (240 grams)
great high ISO (25,600)
no articulating screen
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 Sports photography advice
Sony W550 Sports photography advice
65
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
includes tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony RX100
Travel photography with Sony W550
79
lighter than average (240 grams)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is not selfie friendly
65
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 Landscape photography information
Sony W550 Landscape photography information
74
manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
42
pretty wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 Vlogging factors
Sony W550 Vlogging factors
38
quite wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average (240g)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic support
29
pretty wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Sony RX100 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 and Sony W550
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Type Large Sensor Compact Ultracompact
Released 2012-08-28 2011-07-24
Body design Large Sensor Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface 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
Highest Possible resolution 5472 x 3648 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-100mm (3.6x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/1.8-4.9 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,229k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech WhiteMagic TFT LCD Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 3.80 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/2000s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 240 grams (0.53 lbs) 110 grams (0.24 lbs)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 390 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage 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
Storage slots 1 -
Cost at release $448 $119