Canon 550D vs Sony Alpha A55

Hi Everyone,

I've recently read many reviews of the Sony Alpha A55. And I have to say I am intrigued. I am seriously tempted to sell my Canon 550D and glass and replace it with the A55. I keep reading reviews and the A55 just keeps getting good things said about it.

So I was wondering whether anybody here can either convince me to go over the edge and get the A55 or tell me that I am being an idiot and I should just stick to the Canon 550D.

Just to give you some background. I am a photography enthusiast/tourist. I take photos for memories and to impress friends and family. I like to make panoramas and I am experimenting with HDR. I shoot in RAW and post-process my photos. I don't shoot video. I am looking into this camera from a still photo point of view.

Now I would really appreciate it if you would avoid saying a Canon/Nikon is better just because it is a Canon/Nikon. If you think something is better then I would appreciate it if you would justify it.

Just some background about the A55:

Image Quality:

According to DX0, A55 is one of the best APS-C sensors.

Also according to popphoto.com labtests the quality of the photos are great:

Image-Resourcing.com and dpreview also give the camera great reviews!

Now the advantages of having the A55 over the 550D are:

• 10fps. This is great even though it has its limitations.

• EVF: Most people seem to think that this is a disadvantage. I had a chance to try the camera and it was fine. I especially like the electronic spirit level (usually my photos are all tilted) and the fact that you can adjust all settings without taking your eye of the VF.

• 100% VF.

• Panorama shooting, in camera HDR: Some people might think these are gimmicks but I think they might be useful to me.

• Small size: Makes it easier to carry around.

So what do you think? I would love to hear your opinions.

BFC