Nikon
D3100
 vs
Sony Alpha
DSLR-A550

Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Nikon D3200 vs Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

Nikon D3100

55

  
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

52

  
Winner

Nikon D3100

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3100

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 24fps
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Autofocuses shooting video
Contrast detection
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 124x96x73 mm
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
 

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
7 fps
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
 

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3100
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 919 ISO vs 807 ISO
Help
 The D3100 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
 More than 80% more lenses available
Size Much smaller 124x96x73 mm vs 137x104x84 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Thickness Much thinner 2.9" vs 3.3"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 67.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Lighter 505 g vs 632 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 400 ms vs 500 ms
Help
 20% less delay when turning on
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100

Advantages of the Sony DSLR-A550
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.8 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The DSLR-A550's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 950 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 More than 70% more shots per battery charge
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs APS-C 23.1x15.4mm
Help
 Almost the same
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Learn more about
the Sony DSLR-A550
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3100 Nikon D3100
55 vs 52
Explain scores
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3100.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
D3100:400 ms
DSLR-A550:500 ms
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Light sensitivity (boost) One has boost ISO Help
D3100:12,800 ISO
DSLR-A550:None
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D3100:14.2 MP
DSLR-A550:14 MP
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus Help
D3100:Contrast detection
DSLR-A550:None
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
D3100:0.51x
DSLR-A550:0.52x
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
D3100:67.0
DSLR-A550:66.0
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
D3100:11.3 EV
DSLR-A550:11.8 EV

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3200 vs the D3100
Compare the D3200 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the D3100
Compare the D5100 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3100
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$675 - $899 body only

$799 - $1,099 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the D3100
Compare the D90 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$550 body only

$609 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3100
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon D5000

Nikon D5000

Entry-level DSLR

$642 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5000 vs the D3100
Compare the D5000 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D7000 vs the D3100
Compare the D7000 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550

Nikon D3100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$332 body only

$429 - $499 with 18-55mm lens
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Battery life Longer battery life
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3100
Nikon D3000

Nikon D3000

Entry-level DSLR

$436 with 18-55mm lens
Sensor size Larger sensor
Size Smaller
Movie format Does not take movies
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Compare the D3000 vs the D3100

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $779 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Startup delay More startup delay
Compare the Alpha DSLR-A580 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Sony SLT-A55

Sony SLT-A55

Entry-level DSLR

$1,098 body only

$1,193 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Viewfinder Has a digital viewfinder
Compare the SLT-A55 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$460 - $499 body only

$519 - $539 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Viewfinder Has a digital viewfinder
Compare the SLT A57 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

Entry-level DSLR
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder
Live view No live view
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Compare the Alpha DSLR-A700 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500

Entry-level DSLR
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the Alpha DSLR-A500 vs the Alpha DSLR-A550

appearance

Nikon D3100 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon D3100 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon D3100 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

discussion

Showing 0 comments