Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-6

Following is a detailed assessment of the Sony A580 and Sony NEX-6, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both designed by Sony. The image resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the NEX-6 (16MP) is relatively well matched and they enjoy the exact same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The A580 was introduced 22 months earlier than the NEX-6 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the A580 scores versus the NEX-6 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 & Sony Alpha NEX-6. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A580 Gallery & Sony NEX-6 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A580 enjoys outside dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-6 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

See the Sony A580 and Sony NEX-6 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the A580 and the NEX-6.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A580 and NEX-6 is 64 and 85 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The picture underneath might give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A580 and NEX-6.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the exact same megapixels and you can expect similar quality of photos but you would want to take the age of the products into consideration. The more aged A580 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.