Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 III

Below is a detailed assessment of the Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 III, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and RX100 III (1") have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The A850 was revealed 5 years earlier than the RX100 III and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the A850 scores against the RX100 III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The full galleries are provided at Sony A850 Gallery and Sony RX100 III Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Sony A850 comes with 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) while the Sony RX100 III has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

See the Sony A850 vs Sony RX100 III in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the A850 compared to the RX100 III.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and RX100 III is 54 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading a spec sheet. The visual below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and RX100 III.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A850 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony A850 will offer more detail because of its extra 5MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The older A850 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.