Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7

Its time to look more closely at the Sony A580 versus Sony NEX-7, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are built by Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the A580 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

Photography Glossary

The A580 was brought out 6 months earlier than the NEX-7 so they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the A580 matches up vs the NEX-7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 and Sony Alpha NEX-7. The entire galleries are available at Sony A580 Gallery and Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony A580 has got physical dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) and the Sony NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A580 versus Sony NEX-7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the A580 compared to the NEX-7.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A580 and NEX-7 is 64 and 84 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading through specs. The photograph here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A580 and NEX-7.

All in all, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Sony NEX-7 to give greater detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively.