Sony A7R vs Sony S980
78 Imaging
73 Features
76 Overall
74


94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha A7R and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony A7R Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A7R over the Sony S980
A7R | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2014 | ![]() | February 2009 | More modern by 61 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1230k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper 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.
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.

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

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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony S980 Specifications
Sony Alpha A7R | Sony 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 |