Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 was introduced in December 2009 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II was introduced in June 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II over Sony Alpha DSLR-A550.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II have 3.0" Tilting screens with 922k dot and 1,229k dot resolutions respectively. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.80x (0.53x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 features a 14.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.4 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 365 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II features a 20.2 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3056 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4592 x 2576, 3344 x 2224, 3344 x 1872, 2288 x 1520, 2288 x 1280 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5472 x 3080, 4864 x 3648, 3888 x 2592, 3648 X 3648, 3648 x 2736, 2736 x 1824, 2592 x 1944, 2592 x 1944 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization. On Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 has an HDMI and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II has a Type D Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 comes with NP-FM500H battery pack with battery life of 480 shots and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II comes with NP-BX1 battery pack with battery life of 350 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 has a single SD/SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha DSLR-A550, and up to 1/2000 sec on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±2 EV range on Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and ±3 EV range on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m on Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and 15.00 m ISO Auto W on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount to Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and 1/2000 sec on Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 body has dimensions of 137 x 104 x 84 mm (5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31") and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II body has dimensions of 102 x 58 x 38 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.5"). Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 weighs 632 g (1.39 lb / 22.29 oz) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II weighs 281 g (0.62 lb / 9.91 oz).

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II

137 mm

104 mm

102 mm

58 mm

104 mm

58 mm