Sony A380 vs Sony NEX-6

Following is a comprehensive assessment of the Sony A380 and Sony NEX-6, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are offered by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A380 (14MP) and the NEX-6 (16MP) is very comparable and they come with the exact same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The A380 was released 4 years prior to the NEX-6 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the A380 scores vs the NEX-6 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 & Sony Alpha NEX-6. The complete galleries are viewable at Sony A380 Gallery & Sony NEX-6 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Sony A380 enjoys exterior dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs) and the Sony NEX-6 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

See the Sony A380 and Sony NEX-6 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the A380 compared to the NEX-6.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the A380 and NEX-6 is 68 and 85 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by seeing specs. The picture here will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A380 and NEX-6.

All in all, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Sony NEX-6 to show extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A380 will be behind in sensor technology.