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Sony A850 vs Sony S2100

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Announced April 2010
Sony S2100
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-105mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 61 x 27mm
  • Announced January 2010
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Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Overview

The following is a complete overview of the Sony A850 versus Sony S2100, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Sony. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and S2100 (12MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and S2100 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The A850 was released 4 months after the S2100 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S2100 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the A850 matches up vs the S2100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony S2100

 A850 S2100 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S2100 over the Sony A850

 S2100 A850 

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony S2100

 A850 S2100 
AnnouncedApril 2010January 2010Same generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sony A850 has got outside dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony S2100 has measurements of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Sony A850 versus Sony S2100 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the A850 compared to the S2100.

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the A850 and S2100 is 54 and 93 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions only by going through specs. The image here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the A850 and S2100.

All in all, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A850 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony A850 will provide more detail as a result of its extra 13 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively.

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography info
Sony S2100 Portrait photography info
72
manual focus
megapixel count fantastic (25MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
21
no manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 as a Street photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Street photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
fixed screen
46
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A850 as a Sports photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Sports photography camera
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count fantastic (25 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
17
max shutter speed is low (1/1,200 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A850 Travel photography info
Sony S2100 Travel photography info
55
weather proofing
megapixel count fantastic (25MP)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
50
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count fantastic (25MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
has double storage slots
does not have liveview
doesn't have Timelapse mode
27
screen size is decent (3")
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
no manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
no Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging features
Sony S2100 Vlogging features
9
no video recording
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
no microphone jack
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Sony A850 vs Sony S2100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony S2100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-04-15 2010-01-07
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6048 x 4032 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-105mm (3.2x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 922 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 1s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1200s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 640x480
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 98 x 61 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1415 not tested
Other
Battery life 880 shots -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, optional SD, Internal
Storage slots Two Single
Cost at launch $0 $0