Canon SD980 IS vs Sony A7R II

The following is a extensive overview of the Canon SD980 IS and Sony A7R II, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Canon and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the SD980 IS (12MP) and A7R II (42MP) and the SD980 IS (1/2.3") and A7R II (Full frame) posses different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SD980 IS was brought out 6 years earlier than the A7R II which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Canon SD980 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the SD980 IS scores against the A7R II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SD980 IS & Sony Alpha A7R II. The entire galleries are available at Canon SD980 IS Gallery & Sony A7R II Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon SD980 IS has outer dimensions of 100mm x 53mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Sony A7R II has dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") having a weight of 625 grams (1.38 lbs).

See the Canon SD980 IS and Sony A7R II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SD980 IS compared to the A7R II.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SD980 IS and A7R II is 95 and 68 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing specs. The image below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD980 IS and A7R II.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SD980 IS due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A7R II will deliver greater detail having its extra 30 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged SD980 IS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.