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Sony A580 vs Sony S950

Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Key Specs

Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced May 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Introduced February 2009
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Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Sony A580 vs Sony S950, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the A580 (16MP) and S950 (10MP) and the A580 (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The A580 was brought out 2 years later than the S950 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the A580 scores versus the S950 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony S950

 A580 S950 
IntroducedMay 2011February 2009More recent by 28 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony A580

 S950 A580 

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony S950

 A580 S950 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A580 has outside measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Sony S950 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Sony A580 vs Sony S950 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the A580 compared to the S950.

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A580 and S950 is 64 and 94 respectively.

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over specs. The visual underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A580 and S950.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A580 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony A580 will deliver extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The younger A580 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A580
Portrait photography with Sony S950
73
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
26
has manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A580 Street photography advice
Sony S950 Street photography advice
75
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A580 Sports photography information
Sony S950 Sports photography information
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
better than average battery (1,050 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
24
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A580 Travel photography information
Sony S950 Travel photography information
60
better than average battery (1,050 shots)
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
no Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A580 Landscape photography details
Sony S950 Landscape photography details
73
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (1,050 per charge)
has double storage slots
does not have Time Lapse function
31
has manual focus
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
no manual exposure
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 Vlogging highlights
Sony S950 Vlogging highlights
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic port
screen isn't selfie friendly
9
can't record video
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Sony A580 vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony S950
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-05-26 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4912 x 3264 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 15 9
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 922 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.50 m
Flash options 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
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 599 grams (1.32 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
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 -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 2 One
Pricing at launch $848 $130