Canon SX130 IS vs Sony A850

Its time to look closer at the Canon SX130 IS versus Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Canon and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the SX130 IS (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the SX130 IS (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) offer different sensor measurements.

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The SX130 IS was announced 5 months after the A850 so they are of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Canon SX130 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the SX130 IS matches up vs the A850 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX130 IS and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are available at Canon SX130 IS Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX130 IS features outside measurements of 113mm x 73mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.9" x 1.8") having a weight of 308 grams (0.68 lbs) while the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check out the Canon SX130 IS versus Sony A850 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the SX130 IS compared to the A850.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX130 IS and A850 is 85 and 54 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions merely by checking technical specs. The pic underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SX130 IS and A850.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SX130 IS having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A850 will resolve more detail with its extra 13MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively.