Sony W550 vs Sony A55
96 Imaging
37 Features
28 Overall
33
67 Imaging
56 Features
80 Overall
65
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
- 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
- Introduced July 2011
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Launched August 2010
- Refreshed by Sony A57
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Overview
Let's look more closely at the Sony W550 vs Sony A55, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both sold by Sony. The sensor resolution of the W550 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the W550 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizing.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe W550 was manufactured 12 months after the A55 and they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the W550 matches up vs the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 & Sony SLT-A55. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony W550 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A55
W550 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | July 2011 | August 2010 | More modern by 12 months |
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony W550
A55 | W550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | Dial accurate focusing | |||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
Screen resolution | 921k | 230k | Clearer screen (+691k dot) | |
Selfie screen | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Sony W550 and Sony A55
W550 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimension | 3" | 3" | Identical screen measurement | |
Touch screen | Neither contains Touch screen |
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Sony W550 has got external dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Examine the Sony W550 vs Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the W550 compared to the A55.
Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the W550 and A55 is 96 and 67 respectively.
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by checking specifications. The image underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the W550 and A55.
Plainly, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The W550 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A55 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more modern W550 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Sony W550 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Sony | Sony |
Model | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 | Sony SLT-A55 |
Category | Ultracompact | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2011-07-24 | 2010-08-24 |
Physical type | 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 area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4320 x 3240 | 4912 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
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) | - |
Maximal aperture | f/2.7-5.7 | - |
Macro focus distance | 5cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 921k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen technology | Clear Photo LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150k dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 2s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/1600s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 3.80 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 |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
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 data format | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 110g (0.24 pounds) | 500g (1.10 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 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 photographs |
Battery type | - | 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 shooting | ||
Storage type | 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 | - | 1 |
Launch price | $119 | $800 |