Clicky

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched May 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Introduced December 2011
Photography Glossary

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

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).

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

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.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony NEX-7

 A580 NEX-7 
Screen resolution922k921kClearer screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Sony A580

 NEX-7 A580 

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony NEX-7

 A580 NEX-7 
IntroducedMay 2011December 2011Similar generation
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

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

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A580 Portrait photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography factors
73
manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
77
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Sony A580 Street photography features
Sony NEX-7 Street photography features
75
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Sony A580 Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography advice
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking focus
better than average battery (1,050 per charge)
comes with phase detect autofocus
61
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
better than average battery pack (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Sony A580 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Travel photography camera
60
better than average battery (1,050 CIPA)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
better than average battery pack (430 per charge)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A580
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-7
73
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (1,050 per charge)
two card slots
no Timelapse function
72
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse mode
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 Vlogging info
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging info
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
35
comes with face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic socket
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sony A580 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony NEX-7
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2011-05-26 2011-12-13
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4912 x 3264 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 16000
Max enhanced ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 15 25
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Available lenses 143 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 922k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 599g (1.32 lbs) 400g (0.88 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 80 81
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 13.4
DXO Low light score 1121 1016
Other
Battery life 1050 photographs 430 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Dual Single
Pricing at release $848 $699