Sony enthusiastically embraces technological innovation when developing digital cameras, and that’s a very good thing. In fact, many camera manufacturers are Sony customers, particularly when it comes to buying image sensors. With the A550, the company pushes the envelope with intriguing results, offering the fast burst-rate shoo14.2-megapixel ting usually found in much more expensive cameras, Live View autofocus on an SLR that actually lets you shoot action scenes successfully, and in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) photography that leapfrogs the competition. Strange, then, that the company stubbornly refused to include video recording on this $1000 camera.

HDR photography is a technique that combines multiple images shot at different exposure settings to produce a composite with plenty of detail in both the bright and shadowy areas of a high-contrast scene. This is usually accomplished using software (such as Adobe Photoshop) on a computer. With the Sony A550, though, you can try out this approach right in the camera, without even using a tripod; the A550 digitally adjusts for small movements between shots. It’s an impressive technological achievement, and produces excellent results as long as your subject isn’t moving.

When most SLRs are in Live View mode (lining up your shots using the LCD instead of the optical viewfinder) they resort to contrast detect autofocus, an accurate but painfully slow system, or briefly flip down the camera’s internal mirror assembly, blocking out your LCD view and, again, delaying your shot. Sony offers an ingenious workaround with a two-sensor system that shoots in Live View just as fast as using the optical viewfinder. We’re inclined to hold an SLR up to our eyes anyway when shooting but, if you’re one of the many who likes arms-length photography, the Sony system is a rock-solid choice.

The A550 features a high-res 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD which is hinged at the bottom for shooting-angle flexibility, a decent pop-up flash and a battery that can manage nearly 1000 shots on a charge. There’s an HDMI connection for showing off your photos on a high-def TV, a rarity for a camera that doesn’t include a video mode, but oddly missing is a standard-def video output.

While the A550 has several strong points, we are concerned about this $1050 price (with 18-55mm kit lens). If this seems steep to you, consider the very similar A500, which costs $200 less. The two cameras are nearly identical (they even come with the same user manual), with the major differences being resolution (the A500 offers 12.3 megapixels to the A550’s 14.2) and LCD quality, with a more run-of-the-mill 230,000-dot display on the A500.

Performance (read in-depth performance coverage at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
Our testing turned up acceptable but not outstanding image quality. Color accuracy was alright on hue, but the colors were oversaturated in every available color mode. In our long exposure testing, color accuracy remained a problem, but image noise under low light conditions was good, and under bright lights it was about average. Image sharpness was also decent, as was white balance. The only areas where the Sony A550 excelled in our performance testing were dynamic range, where the camera proved adept at maintaining detail in both bright and dark areas, and burst rate shooting.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at DigitalCameraInfo.com)
We compared the Sony A550 with SLRs from Canon and Nikon roughly in the same price range, the canon T1i ($900) and the Nikon D5000 ($850). Both of these SLRs have the video recording capability that the Sony lacks (the Canon performed better in this area). However, both also suffer from sub-par sharpness, an area where the A550 did well. Both the Sony A550 and the Canon T1i feature high-resolution LCD screens, though the Sony does have a slight advantage here since its LCD is hinged at the bottom to allow shooting while holding the camera overhead or down low. The Nikon screen is a more ordinary 230,000-dot display, but it has a more flexible design, allowing it to be turned to face forward for shooting self-portraits. The Sony A550 is heavier than the other two models; we actually preferred this solid feel to the featherweight Canon T1i when it came to handling, while we found the Sony and Nikon equally comfortable.

In our lab testing, the Sony A550 outperformed the Canon T1i when it comes to image sharpness, dynamic range and shot to shot speeds, while the Canon offered much more accurate color reproduction. In a head-to-head with the Nikon D5000, the results were similar, though the Nikon has a more accurate white balance system, and a wider dynamic range than the Canon. Of course, neither the Nikon nor the Canon offers the high dynamic range capability of the Sony, or its fast autofocus when shooting in Live View mode.

The Olympus E-30 is significantly pricier, at $1300 for the body alone. While the Olympus, like the Sony, lacks video recording capability, it has several features that will appeal to more sophisticated shooters, including extensive customization and bracketing options and a monochrome LCD on top of the camera that’s useful when shooting on a tripod. The Sony has a superior, high-res LCD screen, though the Olympus screen is articulated with a side hinge, the best mounting design in our opinion. In our performance tests, the Olympus suffered from image noise problems (it uses a smaller Four Thirds format image sensor), but outscored the Olympus in color accuracy and resolution testing. And while the Live view autofocus on the Olympus is faster than most SLRs, it doesn’t approach the Sony autofocus speed.

Finally, we looked at the Micro Four Thirds format Panasonic GF1, a far more pocket-friendly camera priced at $900. The GF1 body weights just 10 ounces compared to the 1 lb. 5.1 oz. Sony, giving it a huge edge in portability. It isn’t a true SLR, though, so it lacks an optical viewfinder. You can purchase a separate electronic viewfinder as an accessory, but it costs an additional $200. The GF1 offers video recording, and what’s more, provides the continuous autofocus capability while shooting moving subjects that the Nikon  D5000 and Canon T1i lack. Its Live View autofocus is also faster than the Nikon and Canon, though no match for the Sony A550. As for performance, the Panasonic did better than the Sony in resolution testing, but had noteworthy image noise problems (similar to the Olympus E-30, which uses the same sensor size). The burst rate advantage goes to the Sony A550, which delivers twice as many shots per second,