Sony A850 vs Sony NEX-7

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Sony A850 and Sony NEX-7, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both produced by Sony. The resolution of the A850 (25MP) and the NEX-7 (24MP) is relatively similar but the A850 (Full frame) and NEX-7 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The A850 was manufactured 20 months earlier than the NEX-7 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the A850 matches up vs the NEX-7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony A850 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony A850 has outside measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Look at the Sony A850 and Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the A850 versus the NEX-7.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and NEX-7 is 54 and 84 respectively.

Usually, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over technical specs. The visual underneath may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A850 and NEX-7.

As you have seen, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A850 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony A850 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older A850 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.