Sony a550 vs Sony a3500

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a550 and Sony a3500. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a550

Sony a3500

Manufacturing

These cameras are both manufactured by Sony.

Sony a550 were released 2009 and Sony a3500 was released 2014. That is a 5 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a550	2009
Sony a3500	2014

Type of camera

Sony a550 is a DSLR camera while Sony a3500 is a Mirrorless camera. More information about their differences will come soon.

Sensors / crop factor

Both these cameras have the same sorts of sensor (called "Sony APS-C") which means that if you compare these cameras side by side the lenses will also have the same experienced focal length. Neither of the cameras has a Full frame sensor which means that you will get a "crop factor" where the camera's sensor size affect the focal length with a multiplier.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a550	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5
Sony a3500	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5

** 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)

Resolution

Sony a550 has a 14 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Sony a3500 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
Sony a3500	20 MP 19816192 pixels 5456 x 3632

Sony a3500 has a 41 % 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

Sony a3500 has a larger ISO-range than Sony a550. Sony a3500 has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 16000 while Sony a550 has 200 to 12800.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a550	200-12800
Sony a3500	100-16000

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 Sony a3500

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 Sony a3500 can shoot up to 3,5 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a550	7
Sony a3500	3,5

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 Sony a3500. 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.

Sony a550 weighs 632 gr (equal to 1.39 lb) which is 54% heavier than Sony a3500 and its 411 gr (or 0.91 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a550	632 gr 1.39 lb
Sony a3500	411 gr 0.91 lb