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Sony W510 vs Sony A55

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony W510
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 119g - 96 x 54 x 20mm
  • Introduced January 2011
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
  • Announced August 2010
  • Updated by Sony A57
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Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Sony W510 and Sony A55, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both created by Sony. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the W510 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the W510 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The W510 was manufactured 5 months later than the A55 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony W510 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise summation of how the W510 scores versus the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony W510 over the Sony A55

 W510 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony W510

 A55 W510 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony W510 and Sony A55

 W510 A55 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011August 2010Same generation
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Sony W510 provides outside measurements of 96mm x 54mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8") and a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sony A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Sony W510 and Sony A55 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the W510 against the A55.

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the W510 and A55 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements simply by looking through specifications. The graphic below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the W510 and A55.

Plainly, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The W510 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A55 will result in greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively.

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony W510 Portrait photography factors
Sony A55 Portrait photography factors
21
no manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
73
manual focus
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony W510 Street photography factors
Sony A55 Street photography factors
57
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
77
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony W510 Sports photography details
Sony A55 Sports photography details
25
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery pack (380 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W510 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A55 as a Travel photography camera
58
built-in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
62
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
lack of Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony W510 Landscape photography advice
Sony A55 Landscape photography advice
32
reasonably wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7")
no manual exposure
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
67
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
not so great battery pack (380 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony W510 Vlogging info
Sony A55 Vlogging info
29
reasonably wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (640 x 480 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
78
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic port
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Sony W510 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W510 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510 Sony SLT-A55
Category Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2011-01-06 2010-08-24
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ 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 surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
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 26-104mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 4cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology Clear Photo LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 2 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 2.30 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 119g (0.26 pounds) 500g (1.10 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 54 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8") 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 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BN1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $99 $800