Clicky

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Released May 2014
  • Older Model is Sony RX100 II
  • Successor is Sony RX100 IV
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Sony A580 versus Sony RX100 III, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are sold by Sony. The resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the RX100 III (20MP) is relatively close but the A580 (APS-C) and RX100 III (1") offer different sensor sizes.

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

The A580 was introduced 4 years before the RX100 III and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving into a detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the A580 grades against the RX100 III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony RX100 III

 A580 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony A580

 RX100 III A580 
ReleasedMay 2014May 2011Fresher by 36 months
Screen resolution1229k922kClearer screen (+307k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony RX100 III

 A580 RX100 III 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Touch screen No Touch screen

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A580 has got outer 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 RX100 III has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A580 versus Sony RX100 III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the A580 and the RX100 III.

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the A580 and RX100 III is 64 and 89 respectively.

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing just by researching specifications. The graphic here will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the A580 and RX100 III.

Plainly, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A580 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 III will render extra detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older A580 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A580 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography advice
73
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
64
manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
has face detection focus
saves RAW files
cannot use external flash
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Sony A580 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Street photography camera
75
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (290 grams)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Sony A580 Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 III Sports photography advice
78
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
great battery (1,050 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has tracking autofocus
has no phase detect auto focus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Sony A580 Travel photography details
Sony RX100 III Travel photography details
60
great battery (1,050 per charge)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
85
lighter than competition in class (290g)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
rather wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A580
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 III
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (1,050 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
lack of Time Lapse mode
73
manual focus
rather wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 Vlogging info
Sony RX100 III Vlogging info
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic jack
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
80
rather wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (290 grams)
lack of external microphone support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony RX100 III
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-05-26 2014-05-15
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4912 x 3264 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 15 25
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 922k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s 1/2000s
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 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
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 599 grams (1.32 pounds) 290 grams (0.64 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 80 67
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 12.3
DXO Low light score 1121 495
Other
Battery life 1050 images 320 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
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 One
Launch cost $848 $748