Sony A550

Sony A550 is Sony's Entry-Level DSLR camera originally announced on December of 2009. The camera comes with a 14MP, CMOS APS-C size sensor with a maximum resolution of 4592 x 3056.

Sony launched this camera to improve the older Sony A100 (Read Full Comparison)

The A550 comes in at #42 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras and all round #339 out of 1465 for cameras in our database. Remember to look at our Smart camera filter to find camera listings based on your custom requirements.

Here is a graph of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

The Sony A550 comes with a history of related cameras. Down below, you can discover all earlier and most recent models alongside main specs.

You can look at the A550 from several angles in the gallery below.

Here is a selection of pluses and minuses of the Sony A550 based on aspects which are often viewed as important in a camera.

The Sony A550 is run by the Bionz processor chip. The measurement of the sensor on the Sony A550 is 23.4mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 365 mm² sensor can resolve 4592 x 3056 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Sensor based). In body stabilization is more desirable than digital stabilization since the latter may lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 14 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 200 to 12800. RAW files are supported so you have more room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath illustrates the A550's sensor size in comparison to other common sizes. The A550 sensor comes with a crop factor of 1.5 and is displayed in green.

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To get an idea of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Sony A550 weighs around 1.39 lb (632g or 22.29 oz) and features external proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3"). The weight of normal Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540g and the Sony A550 is heavier as compared with other rivals.

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Here is a picture of the Sony A550 besides a soft drink to help you to have a feel for its size.

The top view underneath will highlight the button arrangement on the A550.

The A550 uses the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount and has 145 lenses available. Here is a small number of the lenses we have in our database that will work with the A550.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Schneider PC-TS Super-Angulon 2.850 HM50mmf/2.8 1400g

Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM50mmf/1.4 505g

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Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro24-70mmf/2.8 715g

Tamron 16-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro16-300mmf/3.5-6.3 540g

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM A50mmf/1.4 815g

Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM85mmf/1.4 725g

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Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM18-250mmf/3.5-6.3 470g

The A550 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras which have NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can be controlled wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to send photos and sometimes change camera settings without connecting straight with the camera.

Some apps also stream a Liveview and click the shutter if you aren't close to the camera. If the camera boasts a HDMI out, it can be connected to an external display. Many cameras enable you to charge the battery with the USB socket.

Sony A550 doesn't take video. If you are looking for a camera to shoot just images, it is not a concern.

There is no weather proofing in the Sony A550 so you have to be cautious in wet and dusty conditions.

The Sony A550 comes with a 3" tilting display having a resolution of 922k dots.

Please note that the display screen offers no touch support.

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The ViewFinder specs regarding Sony A550 are below:

• ViewFinder Optical (pentamirror)
• ViewFinder Coverage 95 percent
• ViewFinder Magnification 0.53x

In those sunny outdoor conditions that make the camera screens washed out and challenging to view, viewfinders will be quite valuable.

Sony A550 continuous shooting rate is 7.0 frames/s. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

Sony A550 includes both in-built flash plus external flash ability. The maximum flash sync is 1/160 seconds.

Sony A550 includes both Phase Detect Auto Focus and Contrast Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot quicker and accurate as compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera comes with Face detect which can be helpful for taking photos of people.

The Sensor comes with 9 focus points to choose from. Sony A550 comes with manual focus if required for low light occasions or you want more exact focus control.

The battery (NP-FM500H) in the Sony A550 is fashioned to last for 480 images according to the CIPA measurements making it lower when compared with its competitors. The general Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x features the highest possible (1900) battery life for this class of cameras.

Following is a list of Entry-Level DSLR cameras with the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Pentax K-x
A550 vs K-x1900 yesnono

Nikon D3500
A550 vs D35001550 yesnoyes

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Nikon D3400
A550 vs D34001200 yesnoyes

Canon SL3
A550 vs SL31070 yesnoyes

Sony A450
A550 vs A4501050 yesnono

The following diagram gives a analysis of the Sony A550 for varying styles of photography. To view more, go to the specific paragraph underneath.

The Sony A550 has a points tally of 72 which is nice, meaning that it is a very decent option for portraits. Shooting portrait photos leans heavily to sensor dimension, RAW support plus the potential to use off-camera lighting.

Coming in at a nice points tally of 74, the Sony A550 is a fine fit to use in street photography. A good street photography camera gives a good balance of picture quality plus portability.

A very good sports photography points tally of 67 indicates the Sony A550 is a fine choice for taking photos of sports. A camera needs to have excellent autofocus plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is pretty critical in picking a camera for travel. Over-all, the Sony A550 gets a average 52 for a travelling camera which makes it somewhat appropriate to take on your trips.

For anybody who is planning to buy a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most important factor will no doubt be image quality. The Sony A550 and it's above average grade of 66 as a landscape camera is a good choice within the current marketplace.

A camera for vlogging ought to have a moving display screen, microphone port and if possible IBIS. Considering everything, the Sony A550 is not good as a vlog camera as it receives a dreadful rating of 9.

If you are shopping for replacements to the A550, here is a number of the top placed cameras that fall into the category of Entry-Level DSLR.

The diagram followed below offers you an overview of the A550 vs it's top ranked competitors listed above.

There are a bunch of cameras you may view as alternative options. To browse through a full comparison, just click on the "compare" link.