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Sony W550 vs Sony A37

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

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
  • Released July 2011
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released May 2012
  • Replaced the Sony A35
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Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Overview

Below is a extensive overview of the Sony W550 versus Sony A37, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are designed by Sony. The image resolution of the W550 (14MP) and the A37 (16MP) is pretty similar but the W550 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

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The W550 was introduced 9 months prior to the A37 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a in depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the W550 matches up versus the A37 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A37

 W550 A37 
Screen dimension3"2.6"Bigger screen (+0.4")

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Sony W550

 A37 W550 
ReleasedMay 2012July 2011More recent by 9 months
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Sony W550 and Sony A37

 W550 A37 
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony W550 has outer measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs) while the Sony A37 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check out the Sony W550 versus Sony A37 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the W550 and the A37.

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the W550 and A37 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The photograph underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the W550 and A37.

All in all, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The W550 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A37 will deliver more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older W550 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony W550
Portrait photography with Sony A37
28
good MP (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
74
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony W550 as a Street photography camera
Sony A37 as a Street photography camera
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
77
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony W550 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A37 as a Sports photography camera
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W550 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A37 as a Travel photography camera
65
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
54
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony W550 Landscape photography details
Sony A37 Landscape photography details
42
quite wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
lack of manual mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
64
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.6 inch)
bad battery power (500 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony W550
Vlogging with Sony A37
29
quite wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic support
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic support
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Sony W550 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W550 and Sony A37
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 Sony SLT-A37
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2011-07-24 2012-05-16
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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 14MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4320 x 3240 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 26-104mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.7-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 2.6 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology Clear Photo LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 2 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.80 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, 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 synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 110 gr (0.24 pounds) 506 gr (1.12 pounds)
Dimensions 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.9
DXO Low light rating not tested 799
Other
Battery life - 500 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-BN1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
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
Card slots - Single
Retail price $119 $522