Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W830

Below is a comprehensive review of the Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W830, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Sigma and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the SD1 Merrill (15MP) and W830 (20MP) and the SD1 Merrill (APS-C) and W830 (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SD1 Merrill was announced 21 months prior to the W830 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras offer different body type with the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W830 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the SD1 Merrill grades against the W830 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sigma SD1 Merrill & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830. The whole galleries are provided at Sigma SD1 Merrill Gallery & Sony W830 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sigma SD1 Merrill offers outer dimensions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs) whilst the Sony W830 has measurements of 93mm x 52mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

See the Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony W830 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the SD1 Merrill versus the W830.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SD1 Merrill and W830 is 57 and 96 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements just by reviewing technical specs. The photograph here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the SD1 Merrill and W830.

As you have seen, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SD1 Merrill using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony W830 will offer you greater detail with its extra 5MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The older SD1 Merrill is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.