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Sony A380 vs Sony RX100

Portability
68
Imaging
53
Features
54
Overall
53
Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Sony A380
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 519g - 128 x 97 x 71mm
  • Launched August 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A350
  • Newer Model is Sony A390
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched August 2012
  • Refreshed by Sony RX100 II
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Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Sony A380 and Sony RX100, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A380 (14MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the A380 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The A380 was unveiled 4 years prior to the RX100 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the A380 grades against the RX100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A380 over the Sony RX100

 A380 RX100 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony A380

 RX100 A380 
LaunchedAugust 2012August 2009Fresher by 36 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kSharper screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A380 and Sony RX100

 A380 RX100 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A380 comes with outside measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A380 and Sony RX100 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the A380 and the RX100.

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A380 and RX100 is 68 and 91 respectively.

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizing only by going over technical specs. The photograph below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the A380 and RX100.

As you can tell, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A380 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 will offer you more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older A380 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A380 Portrait photography info
Sony RX100 Portrait photography info
71
has manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
64
has manual focus
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Sony A380 Street photography features
Sony RX100 Street photography features
76
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
79
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (240g)
good ISO range (25,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sony A380 Sports photography info
Sony RX100 Sports photography info
59
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
terrible battery power (500 per charge)
65
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
features tracking focus
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A380
Travel photography with Sony RX100
53
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
terrible battery power (500 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
79
lighter than competition in class (240g)
resolution is good (20MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A380 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Landscape photography camera
61
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
terrible battery power (500 per charge)
no Time Lapse mode
74
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A380 Vlogging information
Sony RX100 Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
38
fairly wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (240g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
lack of mic jack
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Sony A380 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A380 and Sony RX100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A380Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2009-08-24 2012-08-28
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.6 x 15.8mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 372.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.49x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/2000 seconds
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)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 519g (1.14 lb) 240g (0.53 lb)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 67 66
DXO Color Depth rating 22.6 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.8 12.4
DXO Low light rating 614 390
Other
Battery life 500 images 330 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $899 $448