Sony A850 vs Sony G3

Below is a extensive overview of the Sony A850 vs Sony G3, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and G3 (10MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and G3 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A850 was revealed 16 months later than the G3 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony G3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a short summary of how the A850 grades against the G3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3. The full galleries are viewable at Sony A850 Gallery & Sony G3 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A850 has outside measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) whilst the Sony G3 has dimensions of 97mm x 59mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 185 grams (0.41 lbs).

See the Sony A850 vs Sony G3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the A850 and the G3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and G3 is 54 and 94 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the A850 and G3.

As you can see, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A850 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony A850 will give you extra detail because of its extra 15MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer A850 should have an advantage in sensor technology.