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Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II

Portability
99
Imaging
37
Features
20
Overall
30
Samsung PL120 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
Portability
62
Imaging
75
Features
93
Overall
82

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Key Specs

Samsung PL120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 0 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • ()mm (F) lens
  • n/ag - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
Sony A9 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Succeeded the Sony A9
Photography Glossary

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Samsung and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the PL120 (14MP) and A9 II (24MP) and the PL120 (1/2.3") and A9 II (Full frame) use totally different sensor sizing.

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The PL120 was announced 9 years earlier than the A9 II which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Samsung PL120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A9 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the PL120 grades against the A9 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Samsung PL120 over the Sony A9 II

 PL120 A9 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Samsung PL120

 A9 II PL120 
LaunchedOctober 2019January 2011More modern by 106 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kSharper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Samsung PL120 and Sony A9 II

 PL120 A9 II 
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Samsung PL120 offers outside dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of n/a grams (0.00 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 II has proportions of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

See the Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the PL120 versus the A9 II.

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the PL120 and A9 II is 99 and 62 respectively.

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II top view buttons comparison

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading a spec sheet. The image below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the PL120 and A9 II.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The PL120 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony A9 II will offer more detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged PL120 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II sensor size comparison

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung PL120 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Portrait photography camera
28
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
85
has manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Samsung PL120 as a Street photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Street photography camera
49
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
offers touch to focus
weather proofing
very good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Samsung PL120
Sports photography with Sony A9 II
26
decent MP (14 megapixels)
fixed focal length (()mm)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
87
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
weather proofing
good battery power (690 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Samsung PL120 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Travel photography camera
71
decent MP (14MP)
built-in flash
great max aperture (f)
no Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
73
good battery power (690 CIPA)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
offers touch to focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Samsung PL120 Landscape photography advice
Sony A9 II Landscape photography advice
33
great max aperture (f)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (()mm)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Timelapse mode
86
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
good battery power (690 shots)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Samsung PL120 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A9 II as a Vlogging camera
31
great max aperture (f)
includes external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
36
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes mic port
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Samsung PL120 vs Sony A9 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung PL120 and Sony A9 II
 Samsung PL120Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
General Information
Brand Name Samsung Sony
Model type Samsung PL120 Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Type Ultracompact Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-01-05 2019-10-03
Body design Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.16 x 4.62mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.5mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 51200
Max boosted ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO - 100
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 693
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range () -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash settings - Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB none USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight - 678g (1.49 lbs)
Dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0")
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 - 690 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer - Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage - Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots - Two
Launch pricing $150 $4,498