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Sony S950 vs Sony A55

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Announced February 2009
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • 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
  • Later Model is Sony A57
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Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Sony S950 vs Sony A55, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are offered by Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the S950 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the S950 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The S950 was launched 18 months before the A55 making them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony S950 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the S950 matches up against the A55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony A55

 S950 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony S950

 A55 S950 
IntroducedAugust 2010February 2009Newer by 18 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony S950 and Sony A55

 S950 A55 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony S950 enjoys external measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Sony S950 vs Sony A55 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the S950 and the A55.

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the S950 and A55 is 94 and 67 respectively.

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing specs. The pic below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the S950 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S950 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A55 will deliver more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged S950 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony S950 Portrait photography factors
Sony A55 Portrait photography factors
26
manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
73
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony S950
Street photography with Sony A55
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
77
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony S950 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
24
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (380 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony S950 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A55 as a Travel photography camera
50
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
62
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
missing Time Lapse function
low battery power (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony S950 Landscape photography factors
Sony A55 Landscape photography factors
31
manual focus
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual mode
resolution not great (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
67
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
low battery power (380 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Sony S950 Vlogging factors
Sony A55 Vlogging factors
9
lack of video recording
78
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has mic port
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Sony S950 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony S950 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 Sony SLT-A55
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2009-02-17 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.3-5.2 -
Macro focus range 10cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 2s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.50 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 167 grams (0.37 pounds) 500 grams (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 photos
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $130 $800