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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S

Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
 
Sony Alpha A7S front
Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Key Specs

Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Succeeded the Sigma SD1
Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Introduced April 2014
  • Renewed by Sony A7S II
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Overview

Below is a thorough analysis of the Sigma SD1 Merrill versus Sony A7S, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Sigma and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the SD1 Merrill (15MP) and A7S (12MP) and the SD1 Merrill (APS-C) and A7S (Full frame) use totally different sensor size.

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The SD1 Merrill was revealed 24 months before the A7S making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple view of how the SD1 Merrill scores vs the A7S with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Sony A7S

 SD1 Merrill A7S 

Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 A7S SD1 Merrill 
IntroducedApril 2014April 2012More recent by 24 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1230k460kClearer display (+770k dot)

Common features in the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony A7S

 SD1 Merrill A7S 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sigma SD1 Merrill enjoys exterior dimensions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs) and the Sony A7S has dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") having a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check the Sigma SD1 Merrill versus Sony A7S in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the SD1 Merrill versus the A7S.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SD1 Merrill and A7S is 57 and 77 respectively.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S top view buttons comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to see the difference between sensor measurements just by going over technical specs. The visual here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SD1 Merrill and A7S.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SD1 Merrill having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will offer extra detail because of its extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos much more aggressively. The older SD1 Merrill is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S sensor size comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Screen and ViewFinder

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Portrait photography with Sony A7S
65
manual focus
good MP (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
68
focusing manually
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography advice
Sony A7S Street photography advice
57
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
76
screen tilts
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
lighter than others (489 grams)
above average ISO range (409,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography information
Sony A7S Sports photography information
61
good MP (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
environment proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
52
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
slow fps (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery power (360 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Travel photography with Sony A7S
54
environment proofing
good MP (15 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
58
lighter than others (489g)
weather proofing
low battery power (360 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Landscape photography with Sony A7S
63
manual focus
switch lenses (Sigma SA mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
good MP (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
doesn't have liveview
does not have image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
66
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
above average ISO range (409,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery power (360 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Vlogging information
Sony A7S Vlogging information
9
no video shooting
34
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has microphone socket
lighter than others (489g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony A7S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony A7S
 Sigma SD1 MerrillSony Alpha A7S
General Information
Brand Name Sigma Sony
Model Sigma SD1 Merrill Sony Alpha A7S
Category Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-04-10 2014-04-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Dual True II Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS (Foveon X3) CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 24 x 16mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor area 384.0mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 15 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4800 x 3200 4240 x 2832
Maximum native ISO 6400 409600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Sigma SA Sony E
Available lenses 76 121
Crop factor 1.5 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 96% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed - 30 secs
Highest shutter speed - 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate - 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps)
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 790g (1.74 pounds) 489g (1.08 pounds)
Dimensions 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 87
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.2
DXO Low light score not tested 3702
Other
Battery life - 360 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $2,339 $1,998