The german website Dkamera (Click here) created a nice Sony [shoplink 3617]A55[/shoplink] vs [shoplink 5509]A580[/shoplink] comparison tool. There is no need to read german to play with it! You can select the ISO and RAW or JPG option to compare the image quality. You can select daylight, night and flash image samples. Cool! And now let us know. Which camera shows the better results?
Check A55 price and availability at [shopcountry 3617] (Click on shop name to visit the direct product page).
Check A580 price and availability at [shopcountry 5509]
[poll id=”33″]
18 Responses
Definitely a580 will win!
There are the same results up to 3200 ISO +-1%. How long will we compare different cameras with the same picture quality?
Benefits We’r getting with A55 are much more significant than this small light loss against A580. Pure photographer may disagree :]
Out here they are almost identical. Differences are visible on high ISOs only though the difference in brightness of photos spoils comparison a bit, but in either way – it’s negligible.
Still though – the outcome is much better for A55 than in any other test I’ve seen. Interesting.
Agreed, A55 is doing worse elsewhere.
a55 isn’t doing “much worse” elsewhere. IR has the same result. This has been known for a while now. There is no visible difference till ISO 3200. Also confirmed by DK review.
It is wrong way to test ISO3200-12800 in god light. In very few situations ISO 3200 and 1/2000 is useful and logic combination. I doubt, could be any, where ISO 12800, 1/4000 is reasonable. Therefore high ISOs should be tested in low (preferably tungsten or fluorescent) light.
May be I’m totally blind, but I see more details on A55 images.
The A580 picture is actually an A55. Bit of a cock-up there.
The A580 picture is actually an A55. Bit of a cock-up there.
Maybe they tested the same camera twice!
Up to iso 1600 they are about equal but above iso1600 the 1/2 stop advantage of the A580 is visible.
well, the problem is that it’s less than 1/2 EV. More like… 1/4th maybe on 12k ISO it’s 1/3 EV. But in either way – look for other tests, there you’ll see how the 1/2 EV difference look like.
Like everyone said, up to it’s pretty equal with a slight advantage to the 55 (images look a little bit more correctly exposed) Above that, the 580 wins. The real problem I see with the 55 is highter CA and flare in some situations.
I guess the 21% that favor the a55 must be a55 owners because even someone half blind could see the 580 has better ISO performance even at ISO 800.
I envy your imagination, sir.
The IQ is pretty much the same, A55 has a tiny bit more noise at high ISO values (not even close to 1/2 stop mentioned above), but the images are also a bit brighter. Try boosting A580’s images and you’ll probably get the same amount of noise.
Anyway, the difference is negligible, the whole “issue” is purely for measurebators to flame about.
Clearly the A580 is better at any given higher ISO. However, the difference is considerably less than a stop. There aren’t any intermediate speeds, but I’d suggest about half a stop. The question then is whether the half a stop or so different is of more importance than the other features that the A55 gives you.
It will be interesting to see what Sony come up with the A77 and whether it will have a “flip-up” pellicle mirror.
“Clearly”?
Could you please point out specific image samples where it is so clear?
wait for A66 😀
A77 will make up for mirror by using backlite sensor. this gives twice sensetivity so overal it is 1/3 stop beter not worse.