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Sony W550 vs Sony A99

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 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
  • Revealed July 2011
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Revealed December 2012
  • Earlier Model is Sony A900
  • Successor is Sony A99 II
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Sony W550 vs Sony A99 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Sony W550 vs Sony A99, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both are produced by Sony. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the W550 (14MP) and A99 (24MP) and the W550 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) have different sensor dimensions.

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The W550 was released 16 months earlier than the A99 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the W550 scores versus the A99 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Sony A99

 W550 A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Sony W550

 A99 W550 
RevealedDecember 2012July 2011More recent by 16 months
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k230kClearer screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony W550 and Sony A99

 W550 A99 
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony W550 has outer dimensions 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 A99 has measurements of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check out the Sony W550 vs Sony A99 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the W550 against the A99.

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the W550 and A99 is 96 and 57 respectively.

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through specifications. The photograph below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the W550 and A99.

To sum up, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The W550 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A99 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs way more aggressively. The older W550 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W550 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony W550 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A99 as a Portrait photography camera
28
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
81
you can focus manually
MP count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony W550 Street photography advice
Sony A99 Street photography advice
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
75
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony W550 Sports photography features
Sony A99 Sports photography features
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
78
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
bad battery life (500 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W550 Travel photography features
Sony A99 Travel photography features
65
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (26mm)
no Timelapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
60
environment sealing
MP count good (24MP)
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery life (500 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony W550 Landscape photography information
Sony A99 Landscape photography information
42
really wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
no Timelapse recording
74
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
2 card slots
bad battery life (500 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony W550
Vlogging with Sony A99
29
really wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone port
76
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
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Sony W550 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W550 and Sony A99
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 Sony SLT-A99
Category Ultracompact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2011-07-24 2012-12-12
Physical type Ultracompact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4320 x 3240 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-104mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.7-5.7 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech Clear Photo LCD TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 2 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.80 m no built-in flash
Flash options 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
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 110 gr (0.24 lbs) 812 gr (1.79 lbs)
Physical dimensions 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 89
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.0
DXO Low light score not tested 1555
Other
Battery life - 500 images
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BN1 NP-FM500H
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 Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Card slots - Two
Retail price $119 $1,998