Sigma DP1s vs Sony A850

Below is a thorough analysis of the Sigma DP1s versus Sony A850, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Sigma and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the DP1s (5MP) and A850 (25MP) and the DP1s (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The DP1s was launched 6 months prior to the A850 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sigma DP1s being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the DP1s scores against the A850 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Sigma DP1s & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are available at Sigma DP1s Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sigma DP1s provides outside dimensions of 109mm x 60mm x 31mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 270 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Analyze the Sigma DP1s versus Sony A850 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the DP1s versus the A850.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the DP1s and A850 is 90 and 54 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The photograph below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the DP1s and A850.

Plainly, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The DP1s because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A850 will give greater detail utilizing its extra 20 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively.