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Canon A800 vs Sony A230

Portability
93
Imaging
34
Features
19
Overall
28
Canon PowerShot A800 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Canon A800
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 37-122mm (F3.0-5.8) lens
  • 186g - 94 x 61 x 31mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Released May 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A200
  • Successor is Sony A290
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Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Canon A800 vs Sony A230, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Canon and Sony. The resolution of the A800 (10MP) and the A230 (10MP) is relatively similar but the A800 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The A800 was introduced 20 months later than the A230 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon A800 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the A800 grades versus the A230 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon A800 over the Sony A230

 A800 A230 
ReleasedJanuary 2011May 2009Fresher by 20 months

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Canon A800

 A230 A800 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen dimensions2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k115kClearer screen (+115k dot)

Common features in the Canon A800 and Sony A230

 A800 A230 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Canon A800 has got outside dimensions of 94mm x 61mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") having a weight of 186 grams (0.41 lbs) while the Sony A230 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Look at the Canon A800 vs Sony A230 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the A800 compared to the A230.

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A800 and A230 is 93 and 69 respectively.

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by going over specs. The graphic below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the A800 and A230.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have the same megapixels albeit different sensor sizing. The A800 includes the tinier sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field harder. The newer A800 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon A800 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A230 as a Portrait photography camera
26
includes face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
external flash not possible
low resolution (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
54
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon A800
Street photography with Sony A230
46
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Canon A800 Sports photography info
Sony A230 Sports photography info
29
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (300 per charge)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
46
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (10MP)
low battery power (230 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon A800 Travel photography factors
Sony A230 Travel photography factors
55
better than average battery pack (300 per charge)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
low resolution (10 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (37mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
45
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery power (230 shots)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A800 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A230 as a Landscape photography camera
27
better than average battery pack (300 per charge)
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (37mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no manual mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
51
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no liveview
resolution not great (10MP)
low battery power (230 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A800 Vlogging features
Sony A230 Vlogging features
24
includes face detection focusing
wide angle not good (37mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external microphone jack
9
no video shooting
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Canon A800 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A800 and Sony A230
 Canon PowerShot A800Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Sony
Model Canon PowerShot A800 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2011-01-05 2009-05-18
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 3 Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 37-122mm (3.3x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-5.8 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 115 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.00 m 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 640x480 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 186g (0.41 lbs) 490g (1.08 lbs)
Physical dimensions 94 x 61 x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 63
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.4
DXO Low light score not tested 531
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 230 pictures
Battery style AA Battery Pack
Battery model 2 x AA NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HCMMCplus SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots One One
Price at launch $90 $569