Sony A700 vs Sony A850

On this page, we will be contrasting the Sony A700 and Sony A850, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras and both of them are sold by Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the A700 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the A700 (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The A700 was released 3 years earlier than the A850 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the A700 grades against the A850 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are available at Sony A700 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A700 has got outside dimensions of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") and a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs) and the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A700 and Sony A850 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the A700 vs the A850.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A700 and A850 is 58 and 54 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through specs. The photograph below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A700 and A850.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A700 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A850 will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older A700 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.