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Sony RX100 vs Sony A55

Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 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
  • Launched August 2012
  • Refreshed by Sony RX100 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
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Later Model is Sony A57
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Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 Overview

Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Sony RX100 versus Sony A55, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are created by Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the RX100 (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the RX100 (1") and A55 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The RX100 was manufactured 2 years later than the A55 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the RX100 grades against the A55 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony A55

 RX100 A55 
IntroducedAugust 2012August 2010Fresher by 25 months
Display resolution1229k921kClearer display (+308k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony RX100

 A55 RX100 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony RX100 and Sony A55

 RX100 A55 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony RX100 provides outside dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony RX100 versus Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the RX100 vs the A55.

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the RX100 and A55 is 91 and 67 respectively.

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by looking through specs. The visual here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the RX100 and A55.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The RX100 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX100 will result in more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher RX100 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A55 as a Portrait photography camera
64
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
external flash not possible
73
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 Street photography highlights
Sony A55 Street photography highlights
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (240g)
good high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
offers tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect autofocus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
low battery life (380 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 Travel photography info
Sony A55 Travel photography info
79
lighter than others in class (240g)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
62
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery life (380 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 Landscape photography info
Sony A55 Landscape photography info
74
you can focus manually
quite wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
67
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
low battery life (380 shots)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
38
quite wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (240 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone jack
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
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Sony RX100 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Sony SLT-A55
Type Large Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2012-08-28 2010-08-24
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 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 Possible resolution 5472 x 3648 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 25 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-100mm (3.6x) -
Maximal aperture f/1.8-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 2.7 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,229k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology WhiteMagic TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 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
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/2000 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 240 grams (0.53 lb) 500 grams (1.10 lb)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 73
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.4
DXO Low light score 390 816
Other
Battery life 330 shots 380 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
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 One One
Cost at release $448 $800