Clicky

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II front
Portability
58
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Revealed April 2010
Sony RX10 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Announced June 2015
  • Succeeded the Sony RX10
  • Refreshed by Sony RX10 III
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Sony A850 versus Sony RX10 II, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and RX10 II (1") use totally different sensor sizing.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The A850 was launched 6 years prior to the RX10 II which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the A850 scores vs the RX10 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony RX10 II

 A850 RX10 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 II over the Sony A850

 RX10 II A850 
AnnouncedJune 2015April 2010Newer by 62 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k922kSharper screen (+307k dot)

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony RX10 II

 A850 RX10 II 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A850 has outer measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony RX10 II has measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") along with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Sony A850 versus Sony RX10 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the A850 vs the RX10 II.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and RX10 II is 54 and 58 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions only by researching specs. The pic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A850 and RX10 II.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A850 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony A850 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged A850 will be behind in sensor tech.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX10 II as a Portrait photography camera
72
focusing manually
excellent sensor resolution (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview feature
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A850
Street photography with Sony RX10 II
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
no articulating screen
72
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
weather sealing
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Sony A850 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 II as a Sports photography camera
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
excellent sensor resolution (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
environment proof
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
68
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
offers tracking autofocus
weather sealing
does not have phase detect autofocus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Sony A850 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 II as a Travel photography camera
55
environment proof
excellent sensor resolution (25 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly screen
56
weather sealing
megapixel count decent (20MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX10 II as a Landscape photography camera
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
excellent sensor resolution (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
no liveview feature
does not have Time Lapse mode
62
focusing manually
reasonably wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
weather sealing
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have Timelapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging advice
Sony RX10 II Vlogging advice
9
can't record video
31
reasonably wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have external microphone support
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sony A850 vs Sony RX10 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony RX10 II
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Category Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-04-15 2015-06-10
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 25MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6048 x 4032 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW data
Min boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 922k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 14.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 895g (1.97 pounds) 813g (1.79 pounds)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 70
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 12.6
DXO Low light score 1415 531
Other
Battery life 880 images 400 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Dual 1
Launch price $0 $998