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Sony A100 vs Sony RX100

Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
38
Overall
44
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Launched July 2006
  • Superseded the Konica Minolta 5D
  • Refreshed by Sony A550
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Released August 2012
  • Successor is Sony RX100 II
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Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Below, we are reviewing the Sony A100 and Sony RX100, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both built by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the A100 (10MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the A100 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") possess different sensor measurements.

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The A100 was manufactured 7 years prior to the RX100 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the A100 matches up against the RX100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Sony RX100

 A100 RX100 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony A100

 RX100 A100 
ReleasedAugust 2012July 2006More modern by 74 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A100 and Sony RX100

 A100 RX100 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Sony A100 comes with external measurements of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A100 and Sony RX100 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the A100 compared to the RX100.

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A100 and RX100 is 64 and 91 respectively.

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by researching specifications. The picture here may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A100 and RX100.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A100 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A100 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A100 Portrait photography highlights
Sony RX100 Portrait photography highlights
53
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
low MP (10 megapixels)
64
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Sony A100 Street photography features
Sony RX100 Street photography features
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW files
lighter than others in class (240 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sony A100 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (10 megapixels)
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A100 Travel photography highlights
Sony RX100 Travel photography highlights
45
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
79
lighter than others in class (240g)
good MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
does not posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A100
Landscape photography with Sony RX100
53
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview feature
low MP (10MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
74
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A100 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 Vlogging advice
9
no video shooting
38
fairly wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (240g)
does not posses selfie friendly display
lack of mic support
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Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A100 and Sony RX100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2006-07-31 2012-08-28
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.6 x 15.8mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 372.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3872 x 2592 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 638 gr (1.41 lbs) 240 gr (0.53 lbs)
Dimensions 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 61 66
DXO Color Depth score 22.0 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.2 12.4
DXO Low light score 476 390
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM55H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $1,000 $448