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Sony A580 vs Sony G3

Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Key Specs

Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Older Model is Sony A100
Sony G3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 185g - 97 x 59 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2009
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Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Sony A580 vs Sony G3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the A580 (16MP) and G3 (10MP) and the A580 (APS-C) and G3 (1/2.3") use different sensor size.

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The A580 was brought out 2 years later than the G3 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony G3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the A580 scores against the G3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony G3

 A580 G3 
RevealedMay 2011January 2009Fresher by 29 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k921kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony G3 over the Sony A580

 G3 A580 
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony G3

 A580 G3 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sony A580 has outer measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Sony G3 has measurements of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A580 vs Sony G3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the A580 and the G3.

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the A580 and G3 is 64 and 94 respectively.

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching specifications. The graphic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the A580 and G3.

Plainly, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A580 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony A580 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more modern A580 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A580 Portrait photography highlights
Sony G3 Portrait photography highlights
73
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW files
26
focusing manually
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A580 Street photography information
Sony G3 Street photography information
75
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A580 Sports photography info
Sony G3 Sports photography info
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
great battery pack (1,050 shots)
sensor has phase detect AF
23
has image stabilization (Optical)
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000s)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A580 as a Travel photography camera
Sony G3 as a Travel photography camera
60
great battery pack (1,050 per charge)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
50
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
low MP (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A580 Landscape photography information
Sony G3 Landscape photography information
73
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (1,050 per charge)
has double storage slots
lack of Timelapse recording
36
focusing manually
very good size screen (3.5 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 Vlogging features
Sony G3 Vlogging features
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
27
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have external mic support
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Sony A580 vs Sony G3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony G3
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-05-26 2009-01-08
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4912 x 3264 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 15 9
Cross type focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-10.0
Number of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3.5"
Screen resolution 922k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 1s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1000s
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 4.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
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) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 599 grams (1.32 lbs) 185 grams (0.41 lbs)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 97 x 59 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1121 not tested
Other
Battery life 1050 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Dual 1
Launch cost $848 $200