Sony A580 vs Sony H400

On this page, we are looking at the Sony A580 versus Sony H400, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are produced by Sony. The resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the H400 (20MP) is fairly close but the A580 (APS-C) and H400 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A580 was released 3 years before the H400 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony H400 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summary of how the A580 matches up versus the H400 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H400. The complete galleries are available at Sony A580 Gallery & Sony H400 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A580 has got exterior measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) while the Sony H400 has measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8") and a weight of 628 grams (1.38 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A580 versus Sony H400 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the A580 compared to the H400.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A580 and H400 is 64 and 62 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes simply by viewing technical specs. The pic below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A580 and H400.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A580 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony H400 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged A580 will be behind in sensor tech.