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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930

Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S930 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Key Specs

Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Superseded the Sigma SD1
Sony S930
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.4" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 320 x 240 video
  • 38-108mm (F2.9-5.4) lens
  • 167g - 90 x 61 x 26mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Sigma and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the SD1 Merrill (15MP) and S930 (10MP) and the SD1 Merrill (APS-C) and S930 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizes.

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The SD1 Merrill was released 3 years later than the S930 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S930 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SD1 Merrill scores versus the S930 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Sony S930

 SD1 Merrill S930 
LaunchedApril 2012January 2009More recent by 40 months
Screen sizing3"2.4"Bigger screen (+0.6")
Screen resolution460k112kCrisper screen (+348k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S930 over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 S930 SD1 Merrill 

Common features in the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony S930

 SD1 Merrill S930 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera, you need to consider its weight and size. The Sigma SD1 Merrill features outer dimensions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") and a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs) while the Sony S930 has specifications of 90mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.5" x 2.4" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Contrast the Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the SD1 Merrill versus the S930.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SD1 Merrill and S930 is 57 and 94 respectively.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 top view buttons comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading through specifications. The graphic underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SD1 Merrill and S930.

To sum up, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SD1 Merrill because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will give you more detail as a result of its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The fresher SD1 Merrill provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 sensor size comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Screen and ViewFinder

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Portrait photography information
Sony S930 Portrait photography information
65
focusing manually
decent MP (15 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
26
has manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography info
Sony S930 Street photography info
57
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography features
Sony S930 Sports photography features
61
decent MP (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
24
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill as a Travel photography camera
Sony S930 as a Travel photography camera
54
environment sealing
decent MP (15MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.9)
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Landscape Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Landscape photography info
Sony S930 Landscape photography info
63
focusing manually
change lenses (Sigma SA mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
decent MP (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
31
has manual focus
image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.9)
tiny screen (2.4")
no manual control
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Vlogging with Sony S930
9
no video recording
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.9)
does not posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (320 x 240 pixels)
missing external microphone support
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony S930 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony S930
 Sigma SD1 MerrillSony Cyber-shot DSC-S930
General Information
Make Sigma Sony
Model type Sigma SD1 Merrill Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S930
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-04-10 2009-01-08
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Dual True II -
Sensor type CMOS (Foveon X3) CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 24 x 16mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 384.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 15 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4800 x 3200 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sigma SA fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 38-108mm (2.8x)
Highest aperture - f/2.9-5.4
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 76 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.4 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 112 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 96% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x -
Features
Min shutter speed - 1/8 secs
Max shutter speed - 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.00 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro, No Flash
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 320x240
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) none
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 790 grams (1.74 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") 90 x 61 x 26mm (3.5" x 2.4" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID - 2 x AA
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible) Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo / PRo-HG Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $2,339 $219