Canon XS vs Sony A55

Cameras
Compare Cameras
Canon XS vs Sony A55

Leave Feedback

APS-C 328.6mm²
10.1 megapixels
ISO 100 - 1600

Go in depth with our full Canon XS Review.
See real-world photos taken with the XS.

APS-C 369.7mm²
16.2 megapixels
ISO 100 - 12,800

Go in depth with our full Sony A55 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the A55.

Succeeded by the Canon T3
Compare XS vs T3
Compare Canon T3 vs Sony A55

Buy From

Differences

Canon XS advantages over Sony A55

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Less expensive
$700 vs $850 (MSRP)
Save money for lenses or accessories
Bigger pixels
~ 5.71 vs 4.82 microns
Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
Fast startup
~0.30 vs 0.9 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

500 vs 330 shots
Capture more photos
Thinner
61 mm vs 84 mm
Thinner

Sony A55 advantages over Canon XS

Larger sensor
APS-C vs APS-C
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Tiltable Screen
Tiltable vs Fixed
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
Built-in GPS
GPS vs None
Geotag your photos
External Mic Jack
Jack vs No jack
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
More cross-type AF points
3 vs 1
Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
HDMI out
HDMI out vs None
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
More dots on screen
922k vs 230k dots
Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
More viewfinder magnification
0.73x vs 0.51x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
More pixels
16.2 vs 10.1 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
More AF points
15 vs 7
More AF points improve autofocus
Faster JPEG shooting
9.0 fps vs 2.9 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Bigger JPEG buffer
32 vs 7 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
Higher extended ISO
25600 vs 1600 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
Internal flash
Both provide
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Focus peaking
Neither provide
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Touchscreen
Neither provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Wi-Fi
Neither provide
Share your photos wirelessly
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
On-sensor phase detect
Neither provide
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Top deck display
Neither provide
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Dual card slots
Neither provide
Gives you more storage flexibility
Headphone jack
Neither provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

Buy From

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Canon XS

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Sony A55

Review Excerpt

Read our Canon XS Full Review

Read our Sony A55 Full Review

The Competition

Compared to Pentax K200D

Canon XS

Pentax K200D

$440
APS-C

Fast startup
Longer stills battery life

$800
APS-C

Larger sensor
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Canon XS vs Pentax K200D

Sony A55

Pentax K200D

$734
APS-C

In-camera panoramas
Tiltable Screen

$800
APS-C

Lens selection
Bigger pixels

Compare Sony A55 vs Pentax K200D

Compared to Sony DSLR-A230

Canon XS

Sony DSLR-A230

$440
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$549
APS-C

Less expensive
Larger sensor

Compare Canon XS vs Sony DSLR-A230

Sony A55

Sony DSLR-A230

$734
APS-C

In-camera panoramas
Tiltable Screen

$549
APS-C

Less expensive
Bigger pixels

Compare Sony A55 vs Sony DSLR-A230

Compared to Nikon D3000

Canon XS

Nikon D3000

$440
APS-C

Fast startup
Less shutter lag

$450
APS-C

Less expensive
Larger sensor

Compare Canon XS vs Nikon D3000

Sony A55

Nikon D3000

$734
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
In-camera panoramas

$450
APS-C

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A55 vs Nikon D3000

Compared to Sony A33

Canon XS

Sony A33

$440
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$540
APS-C

Larger sensor
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Canon XS vs Sony A33

Sony A55

Sony A33

$734
APS-C

Higher effective ISO
Built-in GPS

$540
APS-C

Compare Sony A55 vs Sony A33

Compared to Sony A35

Canon XS

Sony A35

$440
APS-C

Lens selection
Bigger pixels

$567
APS-C

Larger sensor
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Canon XS vs Sony A35

Sony A55

Sony A35

$734
APS-C

Tiltable Screen
Built-in GPS

$567
APS-C

Less expensive
Longer stills battery life

Compare Sony A55 vs Sony A35

Compare Other Cameras?