Sony A55 or Canon 550D?

[musicreator]

Hi everyone, I want to buy a camera this month. I am not a pro photographer so forgive my usage of layman's words. My motive is filmmaking as well as still photography. Though I may be doing more of video. I make short films, and every time i need to rent a camera from somewhere. Many people told be that the new DSLRs are doing pretty good with video. So I did some research, read reviews and saw test footages. And looking at my budget it all boiled down to either Sony A55 or the Canon 550D. Initially i was very much impressed by the 550D and I just loved the picture quality. But then i read a comparison on web (the link to that site is at the bottom of this post) and A55 seems to have some advantages like in-camera stabilization, articulating lcd, sweep panorama and full time AF in movies. Also continuous mode rate is 10fps where as canon's is 3.7 fps. Only it lacks in mega pixels, A55 is 16.2 and canon is18. And Sony's translucent mirror technology is also being praised. So overall in figures A55 seems to win over 550D. Only practical advantage that I have seen is the AF. Looking at test videos it is pretty evident that it beats the canon hands down. Apart from that I need your suggestions, as you might have practically used these cameras or either one of them. I want to know whether there any advantages with canon which over power all other short comings listed above.
Thanking you in advance

Sony A55 vs Canon 550D vs Nikon D90 - Comparison Review

[RecurrentNerve]

I would go with the Canon (actually I'd go with the Nikon but that's a brand loyalty thing ). In-camera stabilisation isn't much of an advantage (and in fact at longer focal lengths in-lens is better), sweep panorama is something of a gimmick and if you want movies buy a movie camera. Articulating LCD is useful but the better image quality the Canon will give you outweighs it.

[BuddhaPi]

what he said, and don't forget the lens issue. I'm dumping my sony for the newD7000 and all new glass, somethin g I hadn't considered when I picked up the sony..

[musicreator]

thankyou so much for those reviews! i think im gonna go in for the canon 550D..It suits my requirements, and I think it is also used and tested by lot many people and they all just love it!

[BlueFightingCat]

Hi,

I am curious to know on what you base your conclusion that the 550D has better image quality? Isn't the image quality more often dependant on the objective? And doesn't Sony have a decent amount of objectives? (I know know, no where close to nikon or canon but still there is a decent selection).

Just curious.

BFC

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by BlueFightingCat

Hi,

I am curious to know on what you base your conclusion that the 550D has better image quality? Isn't the image quality more often dependant on the objective? And doesn't Sony have a decent amount of objectives? (I know know, no where close to nikon or canon but still there is a decent selection).

Just curious.

BFC

Youre right, image quality is based heavily in the quality of the lens, and while Sony does have suitable Zeiss lenses, Canon's similar lenses are just as good, and often cheaper.

The A## series from Sony are the new, pellicle mirror cameras and, frankly, I couldnt STAND the sample i had tried.

[BlueFightingCat]

What didn't you like about them? The guy who did the review at "Image Resourcing" said this as a conclusion:

"While I found enough to quibble about to justify my role as a reviewer, I also found the Sony A55 and A33 to be uniquely compelling cameras. The most telling point was how hard I found it going back to an "ordinary" SLR after just a day of shooting with the A55. I've long been an avowed EVF-hater, but the viewfinder display on the Sony A55 is good enough that I found myself sorely missing it when I returned to shooting with a conventional sub-frame SLR with a typically small optical viewfinder. The Sony A55's shooting speed matches that of professional models costing literally thousands of dollars more thanks to the unique pellicle mirror design, and its uniquely Sony features (Handheld Twilight/Multi-Frame NR and Sweep Panorama modes in particular) take the A55 places no other SLR has gone before. I was also pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the Sony A55's grip was, given the tiny body size. I still prefer having more to wrap my fingers around, but this is as good a grip as I've seen on an SLR body this compact to date. While its primary target clearly is not the entry-level shooter, the Sony A55's Auto+ mode takes it closer to true "just push the button" simplicity in auto mode than any other camera we're aware of, enabling novice-level users to enjoy the multi-shot and other Scene modes without having to worry about which to use when. At the other end of the spectrum, for the enthusiast with time to become acquainted its capabilities and familiar with its quirks, the Sony A55 expands the realm of amateur photography further than any SLR to date. In the A55 and A33, Sony has used outside-the-box thinking to deliver a uniquely capable, functional, and well-designed SLR. Hot on the heels of their category-redefining NEX-3 and NEX-5, Sony's engineers have now likewise redefined what consumers can expect from an SLR."

I have to say based on reviews, I am tempted to get this one.

BFC

[inkista]

I wouldn't ask about which dSLR to get for video/filmmaking on this board--we're all more dedicated to still photography for the most part. I'd go and ask on a board that's primarily about filmmaking with HDSLRs, like the cinema5d.com board.

Personally, as someone who's just started messing about with HD video on her 5D Mark II, I can totally see how attractive having in-body stabilization would be for filmmaking--as it's the HDSLR's analog to a steadicam rig. (Well, not really, but it's much nicer than without). If I were shooting video on my 5D, I'd definitely be considering getting more IS lenses.

[BlueFightingCat]

Actually personally I am not that interested in the video features. The original poster seems to be but I guess he already made his decision.

BFC

[jml79]

I hate to be a (pick your favorite word) but the question is about video and I think having phase detect autofocus while recoring video would be a HUGE plus. No more hunting for focus or the slow drawn out blur that contrast autofocus gives you. The A55 has an external mic jack, use it or else you will hear the autofocus motor in your recordings.