Samsung ST80 vs Sony A57

On this page, we will be contrasting the Samsung ST80 and Sony A57, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Samsung and Sony. The sensor resolution of the ST80 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the ST80 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The ST80 was unveiled 3 years prior to the A57 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Samsung ST80 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the ST80 scores against the A57 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Samsung ST80 & Sony SLT-A57. The full galleries are provided at Samsung ST80 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Samsung ST80 offers external measurements of 92mm x 55mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 118 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Contrast the Samsung ST80 and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the ST80 vs the A57.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the ST80 and A57 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Generally, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions only by checking out specifications. The image here may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the ST80 and A57.

To sum up, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ST80 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A57 will show extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged ST80 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.