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Sony A850 vs Sony RX100

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Boost to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched April 2010
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Introduced August 2012
  • Successor is Sony RX100 II
Photography Glossary

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Here is a detailed assessment of the Sony A850 versus Sony RX100, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both created by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and RX100 (1") possess different sensor measurements.

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The A850 was introduced 3 years prior to the RX100 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple summation of how the A850 grades vs the RX100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony RX100

 A850 RX100 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony A850

 RX100 A850 
IntroducedAugust 2012April 2010Fresher by 28 months
Display resolution1229k922kCrisper display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony RX100

 A850 RX100 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry your camera, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A850 has physical dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Compare the Sony A850 versus Sony RX100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the A850 vs the RX100.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and RX100 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and RX100.

As you can see, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A850 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Sony A850 will result in greater detail using its extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older A850 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography information
Sony RX100 Portrait photography information
72
focusing manually
high megapixels (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
does not have liveview
64
focusing manually
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 Street photography factors
Sony RX100 Street photography factors
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
fixed screen
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (240g)
good high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sony A850 Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 Sports photography advice
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
high megapixels (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather sealing
has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A850 Travel photography details
Sony RX100 Travel photography details
55
weather sealing
high megapixels (25 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
does not have selfie friendly screen
79
lighter than others (240 grams)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 Landscape photography factors
Sony RX100 Landscape photography factors
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
high megapixels (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
does not have liveview
missing Timelapse recording
74
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging details
Sony RX100 Vlogging details
9
no video shooting
38
pretty wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (240g)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone jack
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Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony RX100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Type Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2010-04-15 2012-08-28
Body design Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 25MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 6048 x 4032 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 895 grams (1.97 pounds) 240 grams (0.53 pounds)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 79 66
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 12.4
DXO Low light rating 1415 390
Other
Battery life 880 photos 330 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Dual Single
Price at release $0 $448