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Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
38
Overall
44
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Announced July 2006
  • Old Model is Konica Minolta 5D
  • Replacement is Sony A550
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Released May 2014
  • Earlier Model is Sony RX100 II
  • New Model is Sony RX100 IV
Photography Glossary

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the A100 (10MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the A100 (APS-C) and RX100 III (1") feature different sensor size.

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The A100 was launched 8 years prior to the RX100 III and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the A100 scores vs the RX100 III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Sony RX100 III

 A100 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony A100

 RX100 III A100 
ReleasedMay 2014July 2006More recent by 94 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1229k230kCrisper screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A100 and Sony RX100 III

 A100 RX100 III 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A100 has got outer dimensions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 III has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

See the Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the A100 against the RX100 III.

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A100 and RX100 III is 64 and 89 respectively.

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The visual underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A100 and RX100 III.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A100 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 III will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older A100 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony A100 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Portrait photography camera
53
focusing manually
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
low megapixels (10MP)
65
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A100 Street photography highlights
Sony RX100 III Street photography highlights
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen does not articulate
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than average in class (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A100 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A100
Travel photography with Sony RX100 III
45
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
86
lighter than average in class (290 grams)
decent megapixels (20MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
reasonably wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A100
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 III
53
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5")
no liveview
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
74
has manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports RAW files
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A100 Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 III Vlogging highlights
9
lack of video recording
81
reasonably wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (290 grams)
lack of external mic port
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Sony A100 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A100 and Sony RX100 III
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2006-07-31 2014-05-15
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-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 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3872 x 2592 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash options Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 638 grams (1.41 lbs) 290 grams (0.64 lbs)
Dimensions 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 61 67
DXO Color Depth score 22.0 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 11.2 12.3
DXO Low light score 476 495
Other
Battery life - 320 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM55H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $1,000 $748