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Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7

Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
51
Overall
43
Samsung WB850F front
 
Sony Alpha A7 front
Portability
78
Imaging
70
Features
80
Overall
74

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Key Specs

Samsung WB850F
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 109 x 62 x 25mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Introduced January 2014
  • Refreshed by Sony A7 II
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Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Overview

The following is a extended review of the Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Samsung and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the WB850F (16MP) and A7 (24MP) and the WB850F (1/2.3") and A7 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The WB850F was launched 24 months earlier than the A7 which makes them a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Samsung WB850F being a Compact camera and the Sony A7 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the WB850F grades versus the A7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Samsung WB850F over the Sony A7

 WB850F A7 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Samsung WB850F

 A7 WB850F 
IntroducedJanuary 2014January 2012Newer by 24 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k614kClearer screen (+616k dot)

Common features in the Samsung WB850F and Sony A7

 WB850F A7 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to travel with your camera, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Samsung WB850F comes with physical measurements of 109mm x 62mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.0") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sony A7 has sizing of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") and a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).

Check out the Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the WB850F and the A7.

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the WB850F and A7 is 91 and 78 respectively.

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 top view buttons comparison

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to see the difference between sensor dimensions only by looking at technical specs. The pic below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the WB850F and A7.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The WB850F because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A7 will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged WB850F is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 sensor size comparison

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung WB850F Portrait photography details
Sony A7 Portrait photography details
43
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focus
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
82
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Samsung WB850F Street photography highlights
Sony A7 Street photography highlights
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
79
screen tilts
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
lighter than others in class (474g)
above average ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Samsung WB850F
Sports photography with Sony A7
52
amazing zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
66
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery life (340 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Samsung WB850F Travel photography advice
Sony A7 Travel photography advice
69
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
good MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (23mm)
very long reach (483mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than others in class (474g)
weather proof
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
bad battery life (340 per charge)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Samsung WB850F Landscape photography details
Sony A7 Landscape photography details
49
has manual focus
relatively wide (23mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
75
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
does not have image stabilization
bad battery life (340 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Samsung WB850F
Vlogging with Sony A7
34
relatively wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (250g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of microphone port
35
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone socket
lighter than others in class (474g)
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
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Samsung WB850F vs Sony A7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung WB850F and Sony A7
 Samsung WB850FSony Alpha A7
General Information
Brand Samsung Sony
Model Samsung WB850F Sony Alpha A7
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-01-09 2014-01-22
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 50
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 117
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 614 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech AMOLED display Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 lbs) 474 grams (1.04 lbs)
Physical dimensions 109 x 62 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.0") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 90
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.2
DXO Low light score not tested 2248
Other
Battery life - 340 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $599 $798