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Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980

Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Introduced July 2019
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7R III
  • Later Model is Sony A7R V
Sony S980
(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
  • Launched February 2009
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Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Overview

Following is a complete assessment of the Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the A7R IV (61MP) and S980 (12MP) and the A7R IV (Full frame) and S980 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The A7R IV was revealed 10 years after the S980 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A7R IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise view of how the A7R IV scores versus the S980 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Sony S980

 A7R IV S980 
LaunchedJuly 2019February 2009More modern by 127 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1440k230kSharper display (+1210k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A7R IV

 S980 A7R IV 

Common features in the Sony A7R IV and Sony S980

 A7R IV S980 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony A7R IV has got outer measurements of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") having a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs) while the Sony S980 has proportions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the A7R IV versus the S980.

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the A7R IV and S980 is 62 and 94 respectively.

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes simply by viewing specifications. The pic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A7R IV and S980.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The A7R IV using its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Sony A7R IV will result in extra detail because of its extra 49 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics way more aggressively. The newer A7R IV should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R IV Portrait photography information
Sony S980 Portrait photography information
88
manual focus
megapixel count great (61MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
27
you can focus manually
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A7R IV as a Street photography camera
Sony S980 as a Street photography camera
79
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
47
fixed screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A7R IV
Sports photography with Sony S980
90
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count great (61MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
better than average battery (670 per charge)
comes with phase detect autofocus
17
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7R IV as a Travel photography camera
Sony S980 as a Travel photography camera
74
better than average battery (670 shots)
weather sealing
has bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count great (61MP)
display is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R IV Landscape photography info
Sony S980 Landscape photography info
88
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count great (61 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
better than average battery (670 per charge)
2 card slots
27
you can focus manually
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7R IV Vlogging factors
Sony S980 Vlogging factors
37
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Sony A7R IV vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R IV and Sony S980
 Sony Alpha A7R IVSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7R IV Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2019-07-16 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz X -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.8 x 23.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 852.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 61 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 9504 x 6336 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 32000 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 102800 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 567 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Available lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 1,440 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 5,760 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash modes Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync. Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 665 gr (1.47 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 99 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 26.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.8 not tested
DXO Low light rating 3344 not tested
Other
Battery life 670 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FZ100 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible) Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Dual 1
Cost at launch $3,498 $300