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Sony A560 vs Sony S980

Portability
64
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony A560
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A500
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Revealed February 2009
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Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Overview

Lets look closer at the Sony A560 and Sony S980, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are designed by Sony. The image resolution of the A560 (14MP) and the S980 (12MP) is very similar but the A560 (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A560 was brought out 19 months after the S980 making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the A560 scores vs the S980 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A560 over the Sony S980

 A560 S980 
RevealedAugust 2010February 2009More modern by 19 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A560

 S980 A560 

Common features in the Sony A560 and Sony S980

 A560 S980 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A560 provides physical measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) and the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Sony A560 and Sony S980 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the A560 vs the S980.

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A560 and S980 is 64 and 94 respectively.

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to envision the gap between sensor sizes merely by going over technical specs. The picture here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the A560 and S980.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A560 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony A560 will deliver more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The more recent A560 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A560 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony S980 as a Portrait photography camera
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW files
27
focusing manually
no manual control
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A560 Street photography info
Sony S980 Street photography info
75
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A560
Sports photography with Sony S980
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery pack (1,050 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (5.0 frames per second)
17
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A560 as a Travel photography camera
Sony S980 as a Travel photography camera
60
better than average battery pack (1,050 shots)
good megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly display
51
built-in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A560 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S980 as a Landscape photography camera
73
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (1,050 CIPA)
2 card slots
lack of Timelapse recording
27
focusing manually
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A560
Vlogging with Sony S980
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone support
does not posses selfie friendly display
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone port
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Sony A560 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A560 and Sony S980
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A560Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-08-24 2009-02-17
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 15 9
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 599g (1.32 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 70 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 817 not tested
Other
Battery life 1050 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 2 Single
Launch cost $650 $300