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Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1

Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65
Sony SLT-A55 front
 
Sony ZV-1 front
Portability
88
Imaging
55
Features
86
Overall
67

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Key Specs

Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Renewed by Sony A57
Sony ZV-1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 294g - 105 x 60 x 44mm
  • Launched May 2020
  • Replacement is Sony ZV-1 II
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Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Sony A55 and Sony ZV-1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. The image resolution of the A55 (16MP) and the ZV-1 (20MP) is fairly well matched but the A55 (APS-C) and ZV-1 (1") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The A55 was brought out 10 years before the ZV-1 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony ZV-1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the A55 scores vs the ZV-1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony ZV-1

 A55 ZV-1 

Reasons to pick Sony ZV-1 over the Sony A55

 ZV-1 A55 
LaunchedMay 2020August 2010More recent by 118 months
Display resolution922k921kSharper display (+1k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A55 and Sony ZV-1

 A55 ZV-1 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony A55 features outside measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Sony ZV-1 has measurements of 105mm x 60mm x 44mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.7") and a weight of 294 grams (0.65 lbs).

Compare the Sony A55 and Sony ZV-1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the A55 vs the ZV-1.

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A55 and ZV-1 is 67 and 88 respectively.

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 top view buttons comparison

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to see the difference between sensor measurements just by reading through specs. The photograph here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A55 and ZV-1.

All in all, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A55 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony ZV-1 will give extra detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images more aggressively. The older A55 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 sensor size comparison

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A55 Portrait photography features
Sony ZV-1 Portrait photography features
73
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
73
manual focus
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A55 Street photography factors
Sony ZV-1 Street photography factors
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
85
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
provides touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (294 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A55
Sports photography with Sony ZV-1
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
bad battery power (380 shots)
71
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (24.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
provides tracking focus
comes with phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (260 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A55 Travel photography features
Sony ZV-1 Travel photography features
62
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
no Time Lapse function
bad battery power (380 CIPA)
81
lighter than competition in class (294g)
connects via bluetooth
provides touch to focus
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
really wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
not so great battery life (260 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A55 Landscape photography advice
Sony ZV-1 Landscape photography advice
67
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
bad battery power (380 shots)
no Time Lapse function
70
manual focus
really wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
not so great battery life (260 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A55 Vlogging info
Sony ZV-1 Vlogging info
78
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic socket
86
really wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have mic port
lighter than competition in class (294 grams)
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Sony A55 vs Sony ZV-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A55 and Sony ZV-1
 Sony SLT-A55Sony ZV-1
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony SLT-A55 Sony ZV-1
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2010-08-24 2020-05-27
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4912 x 3264 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max enhanced ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 15 315
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 921k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,150k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.73x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 24.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 500g (1.10 lb) 294g (0.65 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") 105 x 60 x 44mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 816 not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images 260 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $800 $750