Samsung ST30 vs Sony A850

Its time to look more in depth at the Samsung ST30 and Sony A850, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Samsung and Sony. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the ST30 (10MP) and A850 (25MP) and the ST30 (1/3") and A850 (Full frame) offer different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The ST30 was announced 10 months later than the A850 and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Samsung ST30 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the ST30 grades against the A850 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Samsung ST30 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are viewable at Samsung ST30 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Samsung ST30 has got external measurements of 82mm x 52mm x 17mm (3.2" x 2.0" x 0.7") with a weight of 87 grams (0.19 lbs) while the Sony A850 has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Examine the Samsung ST30 and Sony A850 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the ST30 against the A850.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ST30 and A850 is 98 and 54 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by researching specifications. The photograph below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ST30 and A850.

To sum up, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ST30 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A850 will render greater detail with its extra 15MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The younger ST30 should have a benefit in sensor tech.