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Sony A55 vs YI M1

Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65
Sony SLT-A55 front
 
YI M1 front
Portability
87
Imaging
60
Features
66
Overall
62

Sony A55 vs YI M1 Key Specs

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
  • Announced August 2010
  • New Model is Sony A57
YI M1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 350g - 114 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released September 2016
Photography Glossary

Sony A55 vs YI M1 Overview

Below, we will be comparing the Sony A55 and YI M1, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Sony and YI. The sensor resolution of the A55 (16MP) and the M1 (20MP) is pretty close but the A55 (APS-C) and M1 (Four Thirds) possess different sensor sizes.

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The A55 was manufactured 7 years before the M1 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera and the YI M1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short introduction of how the A55 scores vs the M1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the YI M1

 A55 M1 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick YI M1 over the Sony A55

 M1 A55 
ReleasedSeptember 2016August 2010Newer by 73 months
Screen resolution1040k921kSharper screen (+119k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A55 and YI M1

 A55 M1 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions

Sony A55 vs YI M1 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to travel with your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony A55 has got outer 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) whilst the YI M1 has measurements of 114mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 350 grams (0.77 lbs).

Look at the Sony A55 and YI M1 in our completely 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 utilizing at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the A55 and the M1.

Sony A55 vs YI M1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A55 and M1 is 67 and 87 respectively.

Sony A55 vs YI M1 top view buttons comparison

Sony A55 vs YI M1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching a spec sheet. The picture here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A55 and M1.

Clearly, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A55 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the YI M1 will render greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A55 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Sony A55 vs YI M1 sensor size comparison

Sony A55 vs YI M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A55 vs YI M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A55 Portrait photography features
YI M1 Portrait photography features
73
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
76
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A55 Street photography info
YI M1 Street photography info
77
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
74
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
YI M1 as a Sports photography camera
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
low battery pack (380 CIPA)
55
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great battery power (450 CIPA)
max frames per second low (5.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A55 Travel photography features
YI M1 Travel photography features
62
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse recording
low battery pack (380 per charge)
78
great battery power (450 shots)
supports bluetooth
offers focus via touch
megapixel count good (20MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A55 as a Landscape photography camera
YI M1 as a Landscape photography camera
67
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (380 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
77
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
great battery power (450 shots)
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
YI M1 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone socket
33
built-in touchscreen
supports face detection focusing
great video quality (4096 x 2160 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
does not have external microphone socket
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Sony A55 vs YI M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A55 and YI M1
 Sony SLT-A55YI M1
General Information
Brand Sony YI
Model Sony SLT-A55 YI M1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2010-08-24 2016-09-19
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4912 x 3264 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 15 81
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 143 107
Crop factor 1.5 2.1
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 921 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,150 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.73x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
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, On, Off, Slow Sync, Red-Eye Slow
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 4096 x 2160 @ 30p / 75 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC
Max video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 500 gr (1.10 lb) 350 gr (0.77 lb)
Dimensions 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") 114 x 64 x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photographs 450 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $800 $320