Canon 20D vs Sony A850

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Canon 20D vs Sony A850, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the 20D (8MP) and A850 (25MP) and the 20D (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The 20D was unveiled 6 years earlier than the A850 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summary of how the 20D matches up against the A850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon EOS 20D & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The full galleries are available at Canon 20D Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Canon 20D has physical dimensions of 144mm x 106mm x 72mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 2.8") having a weight of 770 grams (1.70 lbs) while the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Canon 20D vs Sony A850 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the 20D compared to the A850.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the 20D and A850 is 59 and 54 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual here will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 20D and A850.

As you can see, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 20D having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A850 will offer you greater detail having an extra 17 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older 20D is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.