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Sony W690 vs Sony A55

Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony W690
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 56 x 22mm
  • Revealed February 2012
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Successor is Sony A57
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Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Sony W690 versus Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are offered by Sony. The sensor resolution of the W690 (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the W690 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The W690 was introduced 19 months later than the A55 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony W690 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the W690 grades against the A55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony W690 over the Sony A55

 W690 A55 
RevealedFebruary 2012August 2010Fresher by 19 months

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony W690

 A55 W690 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony W690 and Sony A55

 W690 A55 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony W690 features outer dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Look at the Sony W690 versus Sony A55 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the W690 against the A55.

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the W690 and A55 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing purely by checking out specifications. The graphic below may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the W690 and A55.

Plainly, both of the cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor sizing. The W690 uses the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging. The more modern W690 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony W690
Portrait photography with Sony A55
34
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
73
you can focus manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony W690
Street photography with Sony A55
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
77
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony W690 Sports photography features
Sony A55 Sports photography features
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
bad battery (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W690 Travel photography highlights
Sony A55 Travel photography highlights
68
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
missing Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
62
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
no Timelapse mode
bad battery (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony W690
Landscape photography with Sony A55
43
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Timelapse mode
67
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
bad battery (380 shots)
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony W690 Vlogging advice
Sony A55 Vlogging advice
31
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone support
78
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone jack
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Sony W690 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W690 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 Sony SLT-A55
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2012-02-28 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech ClearPhoto TFT LCD display -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.30 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 142 grams (0.31 lb) 500 grams (1.10 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 220 shots 380 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BN NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media 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 1 1
Cost at launch $297 $800