Samsung CL80 vs Sony A57

Lets look much closer at the Samsung CL80 and Sony A57, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Samsung and Sony. The image resolution of the CL80 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very close but the CL80 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The CL80 was introduced 3 years before the A57 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Samsung CL80 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the CL80 matches up versus the A57 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Samsung CL80 & Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are viewable at Samsung CL80 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Samsung CL80 has got outside measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 20mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Samsung CL80 and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the CL80 vs the A57.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the CL80 and A57 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching a spec sheet. The visual below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the CL80 and A57.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The CL80 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A57 will result in greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The older CL80 will be behind in sensor innovation.