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Sony A7 vs Sony S980

Portability
78
Imaging
71
Features
80
Overall
74
Sony Alpha A7 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Released January 2014
  • Later Model is Sony A7 II
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Introduced February 2009
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Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Overview

In this write-up, we will be reviewing the Sony A7 vs Sony S980, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the A7 (24MP) and S980 (12MP) and the A7 (Full frame) and S980 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The A7 was brought out 5 years later than the S980 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A7 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick overview of how the A7 scores against the S980 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Sony S980

 A7 S980 
IntroducedJanuary 2014February 2009Fresher by 60 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1230k230kSharper screen (+1000k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A7

 S980 A7 

Common features in the Sony A7 and Sony S980

 A7 S980 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A7 provides exterior measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") and a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Sony A7 vs Sony S980 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the A7 vs the S980.

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A7 and S980 is 78 and 94 respectively.

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing only by reviewing specs. The visual below may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A7 and S980.

All in all, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A7 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony A7 will offer more detail having its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The younger A7 provides an advantage in sensor technology.

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7 Portrait photography highlights
Sony S980 Portrait photography highlights
82
has manual focus
decent megapixels (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
27
you can focus manually
no manual control
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A7 Street photography features
Sony S980 Street photography features
79
screen tilts up and down
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
lighter than competition (474g)
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A7
Sports photography with Sony S980
66
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 fps)
no image stabilization
bad battery pack (340 CIPA)
17
slow fps (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7 Travel photography information
Sony S980 Travel photography information
69
lighter than competition (474 grams)
environment sealing
decent megapixels (24MP)
bad battery pack (340 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7 Landscape photography features
Sony S980 Landscape photography features
76
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
no image stabilization
bad battery pack (340 shots)
27
you can focus manually
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7 Vlogging details
Sony S980 Vlogging details
36
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic support
lighter than competition (474 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone support
Photography Glossary

Sony A7 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7 and Sony S980
 Sony Alpha A7Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2014-01-22 2009-02-17
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz X -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.8 x 23.9mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 855.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 50 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 117 9
Cross focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Total lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 1,230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 474 grams (1.04 lbs) 167 grams (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 90 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 24.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 14.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 2248 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $798 $300