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Canon 400D vs Sony A55 Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 400D
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Sony A55

16 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A55
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Canon 400D vs Sony A55 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing 400D and A55, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Canon and Sony. Both cameras have APS-C sensors but Canon 400D has a 10.0 MP and Sony A55 has a 16.0 MP resolution. Canon 400D was introduced to market in October 2006 and Sony A55 was launched in August 2010. As you can see, 400D is 4 years older than A55. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Sony A55 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2006-10-14
  • 10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm
  • Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X
  • Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Sony A55 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-08-24
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1150k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in GPS
  • 500g. 124 x 92 x 85 mm

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Sony SLT-A55

Sony A55 was replaced by Sony SLT-A57. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony SLT-A57 vs Sony SLT-A55
Sony SLT-A57 vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Sony A55 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Sony SLT-A55
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 10.0m 2m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
32.60µm2 vs 22.87µm2 42% larger pixel area


Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A55 over Canon EOS 400D
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.73x vs 0.5x Larger Viewfinder
GPS
BuiltIn vs None track your location
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 10 MP 60% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 1.600 700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
15 vs 9 6 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 3.0fps 7 fps faster
Weight
500 g vs 556 g 56 g lighter
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Color Depth
23.0 vs 22.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
12.4 vs 11.0 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
816 vs 664 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Shutter Life Expectancy
100000 cycles vs 50000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Sony SLT-A55
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Sony SLT-A55
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)
No vs No no option to fine tune Auto focus
Canon 400D vs Sony A55: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Sony A55 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Sony A55 has external dimensions of 124 x 92 x 85 mm (4.88 x 3.62 x 3.35″) and weighs 500 g (1.10 lb / 17.64 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Sony A55. Sony A55 is 3mm narrower and 2mm shorter than Canon 400D but it is also 20mm thicker.

Canon 400D vs Sony A55 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon 400D and Sony A55 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 400D and Sony A55.
Canon 400D vs Sony A55 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Canon 400D and Sony A55 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A55 is 56g lighter than the Canon 400D but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon 400D and Sony A55 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D
A55
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

400D
A55
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X) nor Sony SLT-A55 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A55's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Sony A55 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Canon 400D has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to A55.
Canon 400D vs Sony A55: Sensor Comparison

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony A55 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Sony A55's sensor provides 6MP more than Canon 400D's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the 400D and A55 sensor size comparison.

Canon 400D vs Sony A55 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Sony A55 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A55 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 400D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 400D and Sony A55 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A55 has a better overall score of 73, 11 points higher compared to 400D's score of 62.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Canon 400D 62 22.1 bits 11.0 Evs 664 ISO
Sony A55 73 23.0 bits 12.4 Evs 816 ISO
Canon 400D vs Sony A55 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 400D has an advantage over Sony A55. There are 326 lenses for Canon 400D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 143 lenses for Sony A55's Sony/Minolta Alpha lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A55 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Canon 400D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Canon 400D Lenses # of Sony A55 Lenses
Standard Zoom 40 20
Standard Prime 19 9
Wideangle Zoom 37 11
Wideangle Prime 49 18
Telephoto Zoom 58 26
Telephoto Prime 43 12
SuperZoom 28 19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 7 4
Macro Prime 28 12
Perspective Control Prime 16 10
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 2
TOTAL 326 143


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Canon 400D and Sony A55 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
25.5 - 82.5mm 645gr 1201gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM Lens Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
24 - 75mm 577gr 1077gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1906gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM Lens Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM
82.5 - 300mm 305gr 805gr 85mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Lens Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM
45mm 435gr 991gr 63mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 35mm F1.4 G Lens Sony 35mm F1.4 G
35mm 510gr 1010gr 76mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
15 - 30mm 520gr 1076gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD Lens Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD
15 - 36mm 406gr 906gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
22.5 - 127.5mm 575gr 1131gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Lens Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA
24 - 120mm 445gr 945gr 83mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
100 - 400mm 1590gr 2146gr 193mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II Lens Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II
70 - 400mm 1500gr 2000gr 196mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Sony A55 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Sony A55 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A55 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A55 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A55 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A55 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
500g
Body Thickness 85mm
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A55 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Built-in GPS
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Sony A55: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Sony A55, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Sony A55 scores compare:

Canon 400D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #71 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1226 in all Cameras
Sony A55
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #11 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #161 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Sony A55 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 400D and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Canon 400D
Canon 400D
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Sony A55
Sony A55
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Sony A55 vs Canon 400D Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon EOS 400D Sony SLT-A55
Brand Canon Sony
Announced 2006-10-14 2010-08-24
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 22.2 x 14.8 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 328.56mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 3888 x 2592 4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Canon EF/EF-S Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 326 143
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 2.5" 3"
Resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,150k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.5x 0.73x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00 m (ISO 100) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None 1920 x 1080
Video Formats n/a MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 556g 500g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 65mm 124 x 92 x 85mm
Battery Life n/a 380 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Built-in
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 62 73
DxO Color Depth 22.1 23.0
DxO Dynamic Range 11.0 12.4
DxO Low Light ISO 664 816
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