Sony A3000 vs Sony S980
69 Imaging
63 Features
54 Overall
59
94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
- Announced August 2013
- Replacement is Sony a3500
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Announced February 2009
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Overview
Here, we are analyzing the Sony A3000 versus Sony S980, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the A3000 (20MP) and S980 (12MP) and the A3000 (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe A3000 was introduced 4 years after the S980 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A3000 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.
Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief view of how the A3000 scores versus the S980 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha A3000 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The whole galleries are available at Sony A3000 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Sony S980
A3000 | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2013 | February 2009 | More modern by 56 months | |
Display size | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A3000
S980 | A3000 |
---|
Common features in the Sony A3000 and Sony S980
A3000 | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | More accurate focus | |||
Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
Display resolution | 230k | 230k | Equal display resolution | |
Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen | |||
Touch display | Lacking Touch display |
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and volume. The Sony A3000 offers physical dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Compare the Sony A3000 versus Sony S980 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the A3000 versus the S980.
Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A3000 and S980 is 69 and 94 respectively.
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes simply by viewing specifications. The picture below will give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A3000 and S980.
To sum up, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A3000 using its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony A3000 will provide you with extra detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The newer A3000 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Sony A3000 vs Sony S980 Specifications
Sony Alpha A3000 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Sony | Sony |
Model type | Sony Alpha A3000 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Announced | 2013-08-27 | 2009-02-17 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | BIONZ image | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | APS-C | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 366.6mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20MP | 12MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 5456 x 3632 | 4000 x 3000 |
Maximum native ISO | 16000 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 25 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Sony E | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 10cm |
Number of lenses | 121 | - |
Crop factor | 1.5 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 2.7 inch |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen tech | TFT LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.47x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 30 seconds | 2 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0fps | 1.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) | 3.50 m |
Flash options | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | 1/160 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | AVCHD, H.264, MP4 | Motion JPEG |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 411g (0.91 pounds) | 167g (0.37 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 78 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 23.7 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.8 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 1068 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 470 images | - |
Battery type | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | NP-FW50 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | - | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Launch pricing | $398 | $300 |