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Sony A580 vs Sony TX66

Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 front
Portability
97
Imaging
42
Features
51
Overall
45

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 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
  • Released May 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Sony TX66
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Revealed February 2012
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Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Sony A580 and Sony TX66, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and both are offered by Sony. The image resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the TX66 (18MP) is pretty well matched but the A580 (APS-C) and TX66 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

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The A580 was unveiled 9 months prior to the TX66 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX66 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the A580 matches up versus the TX66 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony TX66

 A580 TX66 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony TX66 over the Sony A580

 TX66 A580 
RevealedFebruary 2012May 2011More recent by 9 months
Screen dimension3.3"3"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1230k922kSharper screen (+308k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A580 and Sony TX66

 A580 TX66 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A580 comes with physical dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) and the Sony TX66 has measurements of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") with a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check the Sony A580 and Sony TX66 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the A580 compared to the TX66.

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A580 and TX66 is 64 and 97 respectively.

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 top view buttons comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The visual underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the A580 and TX66.

Plainly, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A580 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony TX66 will give you more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older A580 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 sensor size comparison

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A580
Portrait photography with Sony TX66
73
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW files
42
has manual focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
no manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A580 Street photography factors
Sony TX66 Street photography factors
75
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
has touch to focus
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A580 Sports photography information
Sony TX66 Sports photography information
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
good battery life (1,050 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
49
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
features tracking focus
great battery life (250 CIPA)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A580 as a Travel photography camera
Sony TX66 as a Travel photography camera
60
good battery life (1,050 CIPA)
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly display
72
great battery life (250 CIPA)
has touch to focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A580 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony TX66 as a Landscape photography camera
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
good battery life (1,050 shots)
has dual storage slots
does not have Time Lapse recording
51
has manual focus
pretty wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3.3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
great battery life (250 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A580 as a Vlogging camera
Sony TX66 as a Vlogging camera
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external mic jack
does not feature selfie friendly display
36
pretty wide (26mm)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing mic port
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Sony A580 vs Sony TX66 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A580 and Sony TX66
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2011-05-26 2012-02-28
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4912 x 3264 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 15 -
Cross focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-4.8
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Total lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3.3 inches
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 1,230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - XtraFine TruBlack OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Rear Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 599 grams (1.32 pounds) 109 grams (0.24 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photographs 250 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo, microSD/microSDHC
Storage slots 2 1
Launch price $848 $350