Sony DSLR-A550 Specification Guide
Specifications are based on the information available at the time of printing and are subject to change without notice.
Main specifications
System
Camera type
Digital SLR camera with built-in flash and interchangeable lenses
Lens compatibility
Sony Lenses * Operation also confirmed with Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lenses
Image sensor
Sensor type
APS-C type (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS sensor Exmor with RGB primary color filters
Effective pixels
Approx. 14.2 megapixels
Total pixels
Approx. 14.6 megapixels
Anti-Dust system
Charge protection coating on low-pass filter and image-sensor shift mechanism
Recording
Recording format
JPEG (DCF v. 2.0 and Exif v. 2.21, MPF Baseline compliant), DPOF compatible, RAW (Sony ARW 2.1 format), RAW + JPEG
Image size
<Aspect ratio 3:2>
L size: 4592 x 3056 (14M), M size: 3344 x 2224 (7.4M), S size: 2288 x 1520 (3.5M)
<Aspect ratio 16:9>
L size: 4592 x 2576 (12M), M size: 3344 x 1872 (6.3M), S size: 2288 x 1280 (2.9M)
Image quality modes RAW*, RAW* + JPEG, Fine, Standard * Recorded in RAW format
Media
Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
/ SD memory card / SDHC memory card
Noise reduction
Long exposure NR: On / off selectable, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 sec. High ISO NR: High / Normal selectable, available at ISO 1600 or higher
Color space
sRGB, Adobe RGB
Other features
Creative Style: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W. (Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness adjustable in +/-3 steps)
Dynamic Range functions: Off, D-Range Optimizer (Auto, Lv 1 - 5)
Auto HDR (Auto Exposure Difference, Adjustable exposure difference level: up to 3 EV between 1.0 - 3.0 EV in 0.5 EV steps)
White balance
Modes
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom (color temperature / color filter)
Bracketing
3 exposures, Hi / Lo level selectable
Focus control
Type
TTL phase detection system
Sensor
CCD line sensors
No. of focus point
9 points
Sensitivity range
EV 0 - 18 (ISO 100 equivalent)
Modes
AF/ MF selectable. AF modes: Single-shot AF, Automatic AF, Continuous AF
Focus area
Wide, Spot, Local (9 local areas selectable)
Features
Predictive control, Focus lock, Eye-start AF, AF illuminator (built-in, flash range: approx. 1 - 5 m)
Exposure control
Metering
Type: TTL metering
Sensor: 40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC
Sensitivity range: EV 2 - 20 (EV 4 - 20 in spot metering mode) (at ISO 100 equivalent with F1.4 lens)
Modes: Multi segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Exposure
Modes: Program AE (AUTO, AUTO - Flash Off, P), Aperture priority, Shutter speed priority, Manual, Scene selection
Scene Selection: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset, Night portrait / Night view
Exposure compensation: +/-2 EV (in 0.3 EV steps)
Bracketing: 3 continuous exposures, in 0.3 / 0.7 EV steps
ISO sensitivity range: AUTO (1SO 200 - 1600), ISO 200 to 12800 selectable (in 1 EV steps, Recommended Exposure Index)
Viewfinder
Type
Fixed eye-level, penta-Dach-mirror
Coverage
95%
Magnification
0.80x (with 50mm lens at infinity, -1m
-1
)
Diopter adjustment
-2.5 to +1.0 m
-1
Eye point
Approx. 19 mm from the eyepiece lens, 15 mm from the eyepiece frame
Screen
Spherical Acute Matte
LCD monitor
Type
3.0-inch* type, TFT (Xtra Fine LCD) * Viewable area measured diagonally
Total number of dots
921,600 dots
Brightness adjustment Auto Brightness Control (auto setting in 2 steps), manual setting in 5 steps
Adjustable angle
Up / down by 90 degrees (from the camera back)
Quick AF Live View
Type
Live view with the dedicated image sensor (pentamirror tilt system)
Image sensor
Dedicated to live view
Metering
1200-zone evaluative metering
Sensitivity range
EV 1 - 17 (in all metering modes, at ISO 100 conversion with F1.4 lens)
Coverage
90%
Display
Histogram display, real-time image-adjustment display (exposure compensation, white balance, Sunset / B&W in Creative Style)
Other features
Face detection (up to 8 faces detectable automatically), Smile Shutter (selectable from 3 levels), Smart Teleconverter (x1.4 / x2.0 selectable)
MF Check Live View
Type
Live view with CMOS sensor Exmor
Image sensor
CMOS sensor Exmor
Metering method
Varies according to shooting mode in use at the time of activation (live view or optical viewfinder)
Coverage
100%
Display
Real-time image-adjustment display (white balance, sunset / B&W of Creative Style, exposure compensation*) *Available only during AE lock
Other features
Enlarged display (x7.0 / x14.0), Grid line display (on / off selectable)
Shutter
Type
Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Speed range
1/4000 to 30 sec., Bulb
Flash sync speed
1/160 sec.
SteadyShot INSIDE™
(Image Stabilization)
Type
Image-sensor shift mechanism
Indication
SteadyShot INSIDE scale and camera-shake warning (indicated on LCD monitor in live view mode)
Compensation effect
Equivalent to approx. 2.5 to 4 steps in shutter speeds * Varies according to shooting conditions and lens used
Built-in flash
Pop up
Auto
Guide number
12 (in meters measured at ISO 100 equivalent )
Flash coverage
18 mm (focal length printed on the lens body)
Control
ADI, Pre-flash TTL (automatic switching)
Flash compensation
+/- 2 EV (in 0.3 EV steps)
Modes
Flash-off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow sync, Rear sync, Wireless*, Hi-speed sync* * With External Flash HVL-F58AM, HVL-F56AM, HVL-F42AM, HVL-F36AM
Flash bracketing
3 exposures in 0.3 / 0.7 EV steps
Recycling time
Approx. 4 sec.
Drive
Modes
Single, Continuous, Speed-priority Continuous, Self-timer (10 / 2 sec. delay selectable)
Continuous shooting
speed (approx.)
Continuous mode: max. 5 fps with viewfinder, max. 4 fps in live view mode.
Speed-priority mode: max. 7 fps
* Varies according to shooting conditions and memory card used
No. of frames
recordable (approx.)
Fine: 32 images, Standard: 116 images, RAW: 14 images, RAW+JPEG: 7 images
* Varies according to shooting conditions and memory card used
Playback
Modes
Single (with or without shooting information, RGB histogram & highlight / shadow
warning), 4 / 9-frame index view, enlarged display mode (max. zoom - L size: x14.0,
M size: x11.0, S size: x7.2), Image orientation, Slideshow
Interface
PC interface
USB2.0 Hi-Speed (mass storage, PTP)
HDMI output
HDMI mini connector (Type C), BRAVIA Sync (Sync menu), PhotoTV HD supported
Supported OS
environment
Windows
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional / Windows XP* SP3 / Windows Vista SP2**
* 64-bit editions and Starter Edition are not supported. ** Starter Edition is not supported.
Macintosh
Mac OS X (v. 10.3, v. 10.4, v. 10.5)
Print
Compatible standards Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, PictBridge
Power
Power source
One Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-FM500H * NP-FM55H for DSLR-A100 is not usable.
Battery performance
Approx. 950 shots with viewfinder, approx. 480 shots in live view mode (CIPA standard)
External power source AC Adaptor/Charger AC-VQ900AM, AC Adaptor AC-PW10AM (both sold separately)
Others
Dimension (WxHxD)
Approx. 137 x 104 x 84 mm (5-1/2 x 4-1/8 x 3-3/8 in.) (excl. protrusions)
Weight
Approx. 599 g (1 lb 5.1 oz) (w/o battery, memory card, accessories)
Operating temperature 0 - 40°C (32 - 104°F)
* is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
* BIONZ
* BIONZ
, Bravia
, SteadyShot INSIDE, S-Frame
, Picture Station
,
VAIO
, InfoLITHIUM , Memory Stick , Memory Stick PRO Duo
,and
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.
* PLAYSTATION is a r egistered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
* Blu-r ay Disc and
* Blu-r ay Disc and
are trademarks.
* Micr osoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries .
* Macint osh, Mac OS, and Power Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries .
* Google is a r egistered trademark of Google Inc.
* HDMI, HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
* Int el, Intel Core, MMX, and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
* SD , SDHC and
* Macint osh, Mac OS, and Power Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries .
* Google is a r egistered trademark of Google Inc.
* HDMI, HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
* Int el, Intel Core, MMX, and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
* SD , SDHC and
are trademarks.
* Adobe is a trademark or registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries .
* All other company and product names mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be the tr ademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
* Inf oLITHIUM is a lithium batt ery pack which can exchange data with compatible electronic equipment about its energy consumption.
Sony recommends that you use the battery pack with electronic equipment bearing the mark.
* All other company and product names mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be the tr ademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
* Inf oLITHIUM is a lithium batt ery pack which can exchange data with compatible electronic equipment about its energy consumption.
Sony recommends that you use the battery pack with electronic equipment bearing the mark.
Screen displays are simulated.
Trademarks & Remarks