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Sony TX1 vs Sony A55

Portability
96
Imaging
33
Features
21
Overall
28
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony TX1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 58 x 17mm
  • Launched August 2009
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Replacement is Sony A57
Photography Glossary

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Sony TX1 and Sony A55, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the TX1 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the TX1 (1/2.4") and A55 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The TX1 was manufactured 12 months before the A55 and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony TX1 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summary of how the TX1 matches up versus the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony TX1 over the Sony A55

 TX1 A55 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony TX1

 A55 TX1 
IntroducedAugust 2010August 2009Fresher by 12 months
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony TX1 and Sony A55

 TX1 A55 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera often, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Sony TX1 has got external dimensions of 94mm x 58mm x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Sony TX1 and Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the TX1 compared to the A55.

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TX1 and A55 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to envision the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching technical specs. The visual here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the TX1 and A55.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TX1 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A55 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older TX1 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony TX1 Portrait photography information
Sony A55 Portrait photography information
19
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.4")
lacks RAW format
73
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony TX1 Street photography information
Sony A55 Street photography information
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.4")
lacks RAW format
77
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony TX1
Sports photography with Sony A55
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,250 seconds)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.4")
lacks phase detect auto focus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery life (380 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony TX1
Travel photography with Sony A55
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low megapixels (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
62
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Time Lapse recording
terrible battery life (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony TX1 Landscape photography info
Sony A55 Landscape photography info
31
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
low megapixels (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.4")
lacks RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
67
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
terrible battery life (380 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony TX1 Vlogging advice
Sony A55 Vlogging advice
28
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone socket
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic port
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Sony TX1 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony TX1 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 Sony SLT-A55
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2009-08-06 2010-08-24
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.4" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.104 x 4.578mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 35-140mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.5-4.6 -
Macro focus distance 8cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 2 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1250 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, 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
Fastest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 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)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format - 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 142 gr (0.31 lbs) 500 gr (1.10 lbs)
Dimensions 94 x 58 x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 shots
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $350 $800