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Sony A9 vs Sony S980

Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Announced April 2017
  • Later Model is Sony A9 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
  • Announced February 2009
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Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Overview

Below is a detailed comparison of the Sony A9 versus Sony S980, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the A9 (24MP) and S980 (12MP) and the A9 (Full frame) and S980 (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

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The A9 was announced 8 years later than the S980 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A9 matches up against the S980 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Sony S980

 A9 S980 
AnnouncedApril 2017February 2009More recent by 100 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kSharper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A9

 S980 A9 

Common features in the Sony A9 and Sony S980

 A9 S980 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A9 has outside measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") along with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) whilst 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).

Check the Sony A9 versus Sony S980 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view scale comparison of the A9 and the S980.

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A9 and S980 is 65 and 94 respectively.

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the A9 and S980.

All in all, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A9 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony A9 will offer more detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more recent A9 provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A9
Portrait photography with Sony S980
83
you can focus manually
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
27
has manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 as a Street photography camera
Sony S980 as a Street photography camera
79
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch to focus
weather proof
very good high ISO (51,200)
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 as a Sports photography camera
Sony S980 as a Sports photography camera
86
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (20.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
better than average battery life (650 per charge)
comes with phase detect AF
17
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A9
Travel photography with Sony S980
73
better than average battery life (650 CIPA)
weather proof
has bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
decent MP (24MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A9 Landscape photography information
Sony S980 Landscape photography information
85
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
very good high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
better than average battery life (650 shots)
has double storage slots
27
has manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
no image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony S980 as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external mic port
screen isn't selfie friendly
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic port
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Sony A9 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony S980
 Sony Alpha A9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2017-04-19 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by BIONZ X -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.6 x 23.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 51200 3200
Max boosted ISO 204800 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 693 9
Lens
Lens support Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Number of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,440 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,686 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting speed 20.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash options 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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic 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 673 grams (1.48 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 92 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 24.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 3517 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FZ100 -
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Two Single
Price at launch $4,498 $300