Sony A580 vs Sony W800

On this page, we are evaluating the Sony A580 and Sony W800, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are produced by Sony. The resolution of the A580 (16MP) and the W800 (20MP) is fairly close but the A580 (APS-C) and W800 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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

The A580 was revealed 3 years prior to the W800 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W800 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick overview of how the A580 matches up vs the W800 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800. The full galleries are viewable at Sony A580 Gallery & Sony W800 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and volume. The Sony A580 comes with physical measurements 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 W800 has sizing of 97mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A580 and Sony W800 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the A580 against the W800.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the A580 and W800 is 64 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to see the difference in sensor dimensions simply by looking through technical specs. The image underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the A580 and W800.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The A580 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony W800 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged A580 will be behind in sensor tech.