Sigma SD15 vs Sony RX100 VA

Here, we will be looking at the Sigma SD15 and Sony RX100 VA, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Sigma and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the SD15 (5MP) and RX100 VA (20MP) and the SD15 (APS-C) and RX100 VA (1") posses different sensor sizes.

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The SD15 was unveiled 9 years before the RX100 VA and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Sigma SD15 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short view of how the SD15 grades against the RX100 VA in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sigma SD15 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A). The full galleries are available at Sigma SD15 Gallery and Sony RX100 VA Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and size. The Sigma SD15 features outside dimensions of 144mm x 107mm x 81mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 3.2") along with a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs) while the Sony RX100 VA has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Examine the Sigma SD15 and Sony RX100 VA in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select during that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the SD15 vs the RX100 VA.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SD15 and RX100 VA is 59 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by looking at technical specs. The graphic here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD15 and RX100 VA.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SD15 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 VA will give more detail having an extra 15MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older SD15 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.