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Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA

Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA 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
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Sony RX100 VA
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced July 2018
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Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA Overview

Its time to look closer at the Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both are designed by Sony. The resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the RX100 VA (20MP) is very close but the A580 (APS-C) and RX100 VA (1") provide different sensor measurements.

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The A580 was manufactured 8 years prior to the RX100 VA and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the A580 scores versus the RX100 VA in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony RX100 VA

 A580 RX100 VA 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VA over the Sony A580

 RX100 VA A580 
AnnouncedJuly 2018May 2011More recent by 86 months
Display resolution1229k922kClearer display (+307k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony RX100 VA

 A580 RX100 VA 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Sony A580 has got outside 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) and the Sony RX100 VA has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Look at the Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the A580 versus the RX100 VA.

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A580 and RX100 VA is 64 and 89 respectively.

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements purely by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A580 and RX100 VA.

As you can see, both of those cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A580 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 VA will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older A580 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A580 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX100 VA Portrait photography factors
73
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
66
has manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A580 Street photography details
Sony RX100 VA Street photography details
75
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
86
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (299g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A580 Sports photography details
Sony RX100 VA Sports photography details
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery (1,050 shots)
sensor has phase detect AF
70
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (24.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports tracking autofocus
has phase detect autofocus
bad battery (220 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A580 Travel photography features
Sony RX100 VA Travel photography features
60
better than average battery (1,050 CIPA)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
76
lighter than competition in class (299 grams)
resolution is good (20MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
relatively wide (24mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery (220 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A580
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 VA
73
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (1,050 per charge)
2 card slots
does not have Time Lapse function
66
has manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
saves RAW files
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
bad battery (220 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 VA Vlogging advice
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic support
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
81
relatively wide (24mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (299g)
does not have external microphone socket
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Sony A580 vs Sony RX100 VA Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony RX100 VA
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-05-26 2018-07-13
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 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
Full resolution 4912 x 3264 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 15 315
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 922 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames/s 24.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
External flash
AEB
WB 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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 599g (1.32 lb) 299g (0.66 lb)
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 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 1121 not tested
Other
Battery life 1050 images 220 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
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 Two One
Retail pricing $848 $998