Sony a550 vs Canon EOS 1D X Mark III

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a550 and Canon EOS 1D X Mark III. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a550

Canon EOS 1D X Mark III

Manufacturing

Sony a550 is manufacturered by Sony but Canon EOS 1D X Mark III is from Canon. Both Sony and Canon are well known brands though.

Sony a550 were released 2009 and Canon EOS 1D X Mark III was released 2020. That is a 11 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a550	2009
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III	2020

Type of camera

Both these cameras are DSLR cameras. No difference there.

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a550 has a "Sony APS-C"-sensor while Canon EOS 1D X Mark III has a "Canon Full Frame"-sensor, and their difference in sensors will also affect the crop factor and experience focal length. See the table below.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a550	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Canon)

Resolution

Sony a550 has a 14 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Canon EOS 1D X Mark III has 20 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a550	14 MP 14033152 pixels 4592 x 3056
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III	20 MP 19961856 pixels 5472 x 3648

Canon EOS 1D X Mark III has a 42 % larger resolution than Sony a550. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Canon EOS 1D X Mark III has a larger ISO-range than Sony a550. Canon EOS 1D X Mark III has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 102400 while Sony a550 has 200 to 12800.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a550	200-12800
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III	100-102400

Autofocus and lens compatibility

Both of these cameras have a built-in autofocus motor. Some lenses, that support autofocus, do not have an autofocus motor of their own but this won't cause any problems with these two cameras.

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a550
Lens compatibility chart for Canon EOS 1D X Mark III

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a550 can shoot up to 7 pictures per seconds and Canon EOS 1D X Mark III can shoot up to 20 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a550	7
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III	20

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

It is only one of these two cameras that support recording movies and movie clips and that is Canon EOS 1D X Mark III. Sadly, the Sony a550 does not support this.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Canon EOS 1D X Mark III weighs 1440 gr (equal to 3.17 lb) which is 128% heavier than Sony a550 and its 632 gr (or 1.39 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a550	632 gr 1.39 lb
Canon EOS 1D X Mark III	1440 gr 3.17 lb