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Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1

Portability
95
Imaging
32
Features
14
Overall
24
Samsung CL5 front
 
Sony Alpha a1 front
Portability
61
Imaging
82
Features
93
Overall
86

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Key Specs

Samsung CL5
(Full Review)
  • 9MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-4.5) lens
  • 141g - 93 x 60 x 19mm
  • Released February 2009
  • Additionally Known as PL10
Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Push to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Revealed January 2021
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Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Samsung CL5 and Sony a1, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Samsung and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the CL5 (9MP) and a1 (50MP) and the CL5 (1/2.5") and a1 (Full frame) offer different sensor sizing.

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The CL5 was released 13 years prior to the a1 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Samsung CL5 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the CL5 grades against the a1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Samsung CL5 over the Sony a1

 CL5 a1 

Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Samsung CL5

 a1 CL5 
RevealedJanuary 2021February 2009Newer by 145 months
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kClearer screen (+1210k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Samsung CL5 and Sony a1

 CL5 a1 
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you should factor in its weight and size. The Samsung CL5 provides outside measurements of 93mm x 60mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony a1 has specifications of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Analyze the Samsung CL5 and Sony a1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the CL5 compared to the a1.

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the CL5 and a1 is 95 and 61 respectively.

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 top view buttons comparison

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions merely by looking at specifications. The pic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the CL5 and a1.

Plainly, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The CL5 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony a1 will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 41 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged CL5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 sensor size comparison

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung CL5 Portrait photography features
Sony a1 Portrait photography features
24
features face detection focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (9 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW support
89
focusing manually
high flash sync (1/400 seconds)
MP count excellent (50MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Samsung CL5 Street photography factors
Sony a1 Street photography factors
47
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW support
79
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
offers focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Samsung CL5 Sports photography factors
Sony a1 Sports photography factors
16
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (9 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
91
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count excellent (50 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
great battery (530 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Samsung CL5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony a1 as a Travel photography camera
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (9 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
74
great battery (530 per charge)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
offers focus by touch
MP count excellent (50MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Samsung CL5 Landscape photography highlights
Sony a1 Landscape photography highlights
22
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not available
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (9 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
88
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count excellent (50 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
great ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery (530 shots)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Samsung CL5
Vlogging with Sony a1
25
features face detection focus
wide angle not great (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external microphone socket
37
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (7680 x 4320 pixels)
includes microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
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Samsung CL5 vs Sony a1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung CL5 and Sony a1
 Samsung CL5Sony Alpha a1
General Information
Brand Samsung Sony
Model type Samsung CL5 Sony Alpha a1
Also called as PL10 -
Class Ultracompact Pro Mirrorless
Released 2009-02-23 2021-01-26
Physical type Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" Full frame
Sensor measurements 5.744 x 4.308mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 24.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 9MP 50MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3456 x 2592 8640 x 5760
Highest native ISO 3200 32000
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 759
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 38-114mm (3.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-4.5 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 133
Crop factor 6.3 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 9,437k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.9x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 16s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate - 30.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/400s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps) 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98)
Highest video resolution 640x480 7680x4320
Video file format Motion JPEG XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB none Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 141 grams (0.31 pounds) 737 grams (1.62 pounds)
Physical dimensions 93 x 60 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.7") 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 530 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (10 sec, 2 sec, Double, Motion Timer) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, internal Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots Single 2
Pricing at launch $391 $6,498