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Sony A7R vs Sony S980

Portability
78
Imaging
73
Features
76
Overall
74
Sony Alpha A7R front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony A7R
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 465g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Revealed February 2014
  • Updated by Sony A7R 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
  • Revealed February 2009
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Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Sony A7R vs Sony S980, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both built by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the A7R (36MP) and S980 (12MP) and the A7R (Full frame) and S980 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A7R was manufactured 5 years after the S980 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A7R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a simple summation of how the A7R grades vs the S980 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7R over the Sony S980

 A7R S980 
RevealedFebruary 2014February 2009More modern by 61 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1230k230kSharper screen (+1000k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A7R

 S980 A7R 

Common features in the Sony A7R and Sony S980

 A7R S980 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Sony A7R has external dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") having a weight of 465 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has specifications 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 A7R vs Sony S980 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the A7R versus the S980.

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A7R and S980 is 78 and 94 respectively.

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes simply by researching specs. The pic underneath should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A7R and S980.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The A7R because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A7R will result in more detail due to its extra 24MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher A7R will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R Portrait photography advice
Sony S980 Portrait photography advice
83
you can focus manually
MP count high (36 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
27
focusing manually
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A7R Street photography advice
Sony S980 Street photography advice
79
has a tilting screen
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than average (465 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
47
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7R Sports photography features
Sony S980 Sports photography features
61
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
MP count high (36MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather proof
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
terrible battery power (340 per charge)
lack of phase detect autofocus
17
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7R Travel photography highlights
Sony S980 Travel photography highlights
69
lighter than average (465 grams)
weather proof
MP count high (36 megapixels)
terrible battery power (340 per charge)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S980 as a Landscape photography camera
77
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
MP count high (36 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
no image stabilization
terrible battery power (340 shots)
27
focusing manually
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A7R
Vlogging with Sony S980
36
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic port
lighter than average (465g)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone port
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Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R and Sony S980
 Sony Alpha A7RSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7R Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-02-13 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 36 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 7360 x 4912 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 25 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
Number of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 1,230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 465 grams (1.03 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Physical 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 Overall rating 95 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 25.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 2746 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 photos -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID 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
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $1,898 $300