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Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Raise to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Announced April 2010
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Superseded the Sony RX100
  • Newer Model is Sony RX100 III
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Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Sony A850 versus Sony RX100 II, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and RX100 II (1") feature different sensor sizes.

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The A850 was announced 4 years prior to the RX100 II and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the A850 matches up against the RX100 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony RX100 II

 A850 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Sony A850

 RX100 II A850 
RevealedJune 2013April 2010More recent by 38 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k922kSharper screen (+307k dot)

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony RX100 II

 A850 RX100 II 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony A850 enjoys exterior dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 II has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

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

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the A850 versus the RX100 II.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and RX100 II is 54 and 89 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by researching specs. The graphic underneath may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and RX100 II.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A850 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Sony A850 will result in more detail with its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older A850 will be behind in sensor tech.

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography factors
72
focusing manually
megapixel count high (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
no liveview
70
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 Street photography information
Sony RX100 II Street photography information
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
screen is fixed
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (281 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A850
Sports photography with Sony RX100 II
71
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count high (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
features tracking autofocus
good battery (350 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A850
Travel photography with Sony RX100 II
55
weather proofing
megapixel count high (25MP)
no Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
80
good battery (350 per charge)
lighter than competition in class (281 grams)
MP count decent (20MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Landscape photography camera
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count high (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
no liveview
no Time Lapse function
74
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
good battery (350 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 II Vlogging factors
9
no video recording
37
reasonably wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (281 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no external microphone port
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Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony RX100 II
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Type Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-04-15 2013-06-27
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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6048 x 4032 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 160
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 895g (1.97 pounds) 281g (0.62 pounds)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 67
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 12.4
DXO Low light score 1415 483
Other
Battery life 880 pictures 350 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage 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 2 One
Pricing at launch $0 $598