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Sony W830 vs Sony A55

Portability
96
Imaging
45
Features
26
Overall
37
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony W830
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-6.3) lens
  • 122g - 93 x 52 x 23mm
  • Revealed January 2014
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released August 2010
  • Renewed by Sony A57
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Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Sony W830 vs Sony A55, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are sold by Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the W830 (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the W830 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The W830 was released 3 years after the A55 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony W830 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the W830 grades vs the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony W830 over the Sony A55

 W830 A55 
ReleasedJanuary 2014August 2010Newer by 42 months

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony W830

 A55 W830 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony W830 and Sony A55

 W830 A55 
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony W830 has exterior measurements of 93mm x 52mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") and a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs) and 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).

Contrast the Sony W830 vs Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the W830 and the A55.

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the W830 and A55 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading specs. The image here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the W830 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The W830 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony W830 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The fresher W830 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony W830 Portrait photography details
Sony A55 Portrait photography details
38
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
73
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony W830 as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
59
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
77
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony W830 Sports photography features
Sony A55 Sports photography features
43
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
features tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
not so great battery power (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W830 Travel photography information
Sony A55 Travel photography information
67
good megapixels (20MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
62
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse recording
not so great battery power (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony W830
Landscape photography with Sony A55
41
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse mode
67
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
not so great battery power (380 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony W830 Vlogging factors
Sony A55 Vlogging factors
32
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic support
78
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
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Sony W830 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W830 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 Sony SLT-A55
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2014-01-07 2010-08-24
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5152 x 3864 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-200mm (8.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.3-6.3 -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech Clear Photo LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 2s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 2.80 m (with ISO auto) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Flash Off / Advanced Flash 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 - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 122 gr (0.27 lb) 500 gr (1.10 lb)
Dimensions 93 x 52 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 73
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-BN NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo, microSD/microSDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $128 $800