Sony A850 vs Sony HX80

On this page, we will be evaluating the Sony A850 vs Sony HX80, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and HX80 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The A850 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the HX80 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the A850 matches up against the HX80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The entire galleries are provided at Sony A850 Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Sony A850 offers external dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony HX80 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Compare the Sony A850 vs Sony HX80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the A850 and the HX80.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and HX80 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it can be difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The visual underneath may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and HX80.

As you have seen, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A850 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony A850 will produce more detail due to its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A850 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.