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Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Key Specs

Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Launched January 2008
  • Updated by Sony A330
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 III
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Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Let's look closer at the Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the A300 (10MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the A300 (APS-C) and RX100 II (1") feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The A300 was launched 6 years prior to the RX100 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the A300 grades against the RX100 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Sony RX100 II

 A300 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Sony A300

 RX100 II A300 
AnnouncedJune 2013January 2008More recent by 65 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kClearer screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A300 and Sony RX100 II

 A300 RX100 II 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A300 offers outside measurements of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 II has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Compare the Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the A300 and the RX100 II.

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A300 and RX100 II is 64 and 89 respectively.

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A300 and RX100 II.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A300 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony RX100 II will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older A300 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A300 Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography details
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
70
manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A300 Street photography advice
Sony RX100 II Street photography advice
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (281 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A300 Sports photography features
Sony RX100 II Sports photography features
54
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
offers tracking focus
great battery power (350 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A300 Travel photography factors
Sony RX100 II Travel photography factors
45
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
80
great battery power (350 per charge)
lighter than competition (281 grams)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A300 Landscape photography info
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography info
57
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
74
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
great battery power (350 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A300
Vlogging with Sony RX100 II
9
can't record video
37
relatively wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (281 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone port
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Sony A300 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A300 and Sony RX100 II
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2008-01-30 2013-06-27
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.6 x 15.8mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 372.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3872 x 2592 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.49x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash settings Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 632g (1.39 pounds) 281g (0.62 pounds)
Dimensions 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 64 67
DXO Color Depth rating 22.5 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 538 483
Other
Battery life - 350 images
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media Compact Flash SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $0 $598