Sony A850 vs. Sony W570: A Deep Dive into Two Worlds of Photography

Choosing your next camera can feel like standing at a crossroads. On one hand, you have a full-frame DSLR boasting pro-level features, and on the other, a pocket-friendly ultracompact with surprising tricks up its sleeve. Today, we're going head-to-head with two Sony cameras that couldn't be more different: the Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 (a robust, full-frame DSLR from 2010) and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 (an ultracompact point-and-shoot from 2011). If you’ve been juggling between serious photographic ambitions and everyday casual shooting, this comparison is for you.

Throughout this article, I’ll guide you through nuanced differences, hands-on performance insights, and help you understand which camera fits your photographic lifestyle, preference, and budget. Let’s jump in.

First Impressions: Size, Build, and Design

Let me get the elephant in the room out of the way: physically, these two are miles apart.

The Sony A850 is a mid-size SLR, weighing around 895g - almost 8 times heavier than the W570, which tips the scales at 116g. The difference isn’t just weight but also dimensions. The A850 is roughly 156x117x82 mm; the W570 fits snugly in your pocket at 91x52x19 mm.

This size gap isn't surprising when you consider the A850's full-frame sensor and weather-sealed body designed for professional use, compared to the W570’s compact fixed lens and basic weather protection (none, actually).

In real-world shooting scenarios, the A850’s body feels substantial and grippy - ideal if you like clubs for thumbs on your camera. It’s built to endure some beating outdoors with its environmental sealing, a feature lacking in the W570. Conversely, the W570 is your “grab and go” buddy: light, discreet, and easy to slide into a pocket or handbag.

Ergonomically, big cameras like the A850 offer many physical controls and a comfortable hand grip, whereas the W570 leans heavily on minimal buttons and menus.

Let’s take a closer look at controls…

Controls and Usability: Hands-On Handling

One thing I’ve learned over my years of camera testing: controls make or break the shooting experience.

The Sony A850 features a well-laid-out control scheme typical of DSLRs from its era. It has a dedicated top LCD panel for quick exposure readouts, a multitude of dials for shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, and customizable buttons for rapid adjustments. The buttons are tactile but not illuminated, which can be a minor drawback in low-light environments.

The W570, meanwhile, strips everything down to basics. It lacks manual exposure modes entirely - no shutter priority, aperture priority, or manual options. Instead, it relies on fully automatic shooting with some scene modes and a limited set of simple white balance adjustments. This is typical for ultracompacts where convenience outweighs granularity.

Because of the W570’s small size, buttons are tiny and close together, which can be fiddly for larger hands or when operating in haste. The fixed lens also means no lens controls except zoom, which is operated via a small rocker. I found the zoom to be smooth but not super fast.

For those who live for creative control and customizability, the A850 is a clear winner. The W570’s simplicity will appeal mainly to casual shooters or cheapskates who want to avoid fiddling with settings.

Sensor and Image Quality – The Heart of the Matter

This part will make or break your decision, depending on your photography aspirations.

The Sony A850 rocks a 25-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor measuring 35.9 x 24mm. This sensor size alone offers advantages impossible for compact cameras to match - including exceptional low-light performance, depth of field control, and ultimate image quality for large prints or cropping.

Compare that to the W570’s 16-megapixel CCD sensor, which is just 1/2.3-inch in size (6.17 x 4.55 mm). This is a tiny sensor by any standard, limiting dynamic range and low-light capability.

Based on detailed DXOMark data (while the W570 isn’t officially tested, smaller sensor compact cameras have well-understood limits), the A850 scores:

• Overall score: 79
• Color depth: 23.8 bits
• Dynamic range: 12.2 EV
• Low-light ISO performance: usable up to ISO 1415 native

In everyday use, the A850 produces crisp, richly detailed images with natural skin tones and excellent dynamic range - great news if you shoot in mixed lighting or landscapes with bright skies and shadowed foregrounds.

The W570’s sensor, limited by physical size, produces respectable images only in good lighting conditions. Its small sensor contributes to higher noise in low light, loss of finer details, and a lack of depth in colors - typical for ultracompacts.

For portraits, the A850 shines - yes, thanks to that sensor and the ability to pair with fast prime lenses, you’ll enjoy creamy bokeh and accurate skin tones like you wouldn’t believe from something as pedestrian as a point-and-shoot.

At maximum resolution, the A850’s images (up to 6048x4032 pixels) stand up to large-format prints, professional editing, and cropping flexibility. The W570 maxes out at 4608x3456 pixels, which is fine for everyday prints and web use but nothing extravagant.

Live View, Viewfinder, and LCD Display

Since many DSLR shooters spend hours looking through the camera, usability of the display and viewfinder matters.

The A850 uses an optical pentaprism viewfinder with 0.74x magnification and 98% coverage. This traditional optical viewfinder delivers a bright, lag-free window to your scene with real-time exposure judgment through the viewfinder thanks to the DSLR design. No live view mode here, as is typical for that generation DSLR, so no real-time LCD preview.

The W570 forgoes any viewfinder altogether - relying solely on its 2.7-inch fixed Clear Photo LCD screen with 230k dots. This screen is decent for quick composition and playback, but not in the same league as higher-resolution, articulated screens you get on more advanced cameras.

Personally, when shooting subjects that require precise framing or fast reflexes - sports or wildlife, for example - I prefer the DSLR optical viewfinder every time. It feels natural and immersive.

The W570’s LCD suffices for casual snapshots and framing on the go but can struggle in bright outdoor sunlight and does not offer touch input or live histogram overlays.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed: Staying Ahead of the Action

Autofocus systems are often the dealbreaker for photographers shooting moving subjects.

The Sony A850 incorporates a phase-detection autofocus system with 9 focus points. While not cutting-edge by today’s standards, it was respectable in its day, providing decent single-shot focus and basic continuous autofocus modes, but lacking advanced tracking and eye detection. The max continuous shooting rate is a modest 3 fps, which limits its utility for intense sports or wildlife action sequences.

For still life, portraits, landscapes, and casual sports, the autofocus system is more than adequate and benefits from the DSLR’s phase detection for more reliable focus acquisition than contrast detection-only systems.

On the other side, the W570 uses contrast-detection AF with 9 points, as is standard for compact cameras. Contrast-detect AF is typically slower and hunt-prone compared to phase detection, especially in low light. Continuous AF is not supported, and burst mode is limited to 1 fps, making it strictly unsuitable for sports or fast action.

While the W570’s autofocus is “good enough” for casual snapping and close-range subjects, don’t expect pinpoint autofocus on fast-moving targets.

Lens Options: Dozens vs. Fixed Zoom

This is where the cameras truly embody two different universes.

The Sony A850 leverages the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount, which offers an extensive ecosystem of over 140 native lenses (including Zeiss primes, Sony G series, and older Minolta compatible glass). Whether you want macro, telephoto wildlife lenses, ultra-wide landscapes, or portrait-specific fast primes, there’s a solution. This flexibility means you can tailor your kit for almost any genre of photography.

On the other hand, the W570’s lens is fixed, equivalent to a 25-125mm (5x zoom) with an aperture range of f/2.6 to f/6.3. It’s optically stabilized (Optical SteadyShot), which helps reduce blur, but you cannot swap lenses or remotely match the artistic control from selective depth of field or specialized optics.

For the casual shooter prioritizing convenience, that fixed lens covers a good range from wide-angle group shots to moderate telephoto for portraits or distant subjects. However, for any creative work demanding professional-grade lenses, the W570 cannot compete.

Battery Life and Storage

DSLRs tend to outpace compacts on endurance, minus the power draw from bigger sensors and electronics.

The Sony A850’s battery, model NP-FM500H, delivers a sturdy 880 shots per charge. While heavy, it handles the demands of extended shooting trips or events without frequent swaps.

The W570, equipped with an NP-BN1 battery, lacks official CIPA specs, but in my testing, it runs about 250-300 shots per charge comfortably - adequate for a day out but needing careful power management on longer excursions.

On storage, the A850 offers dual card slots (CompactFlash Type I/II, UDMA, and Memory Stick Duo variants). Dual slots are valuable for professionals who want backup or extended storage for RAW workflows.

The W570 supports single SD/SDHC/SDXC or Memory Stick, which is fine for casual shooting and simple backup but not professional redundancy.

Connectivity and Extras

Neither camera sports modern wireless standards like Bluetooth or NFC, but the W570 features a notable legacy feature: Eye-Fi Card compatibility, enabling wireless transfer with compatible SD cards.

The A850 provides HDMI output and USB 2.0 for tethered shooting or file transfer. The W570 also includes HDMI and USB 2.0 but has no microphone/headphone ports, which somewhat limits video creation potentials (more below).

Photography-Specific Strengths and Weaknesses

Let’s explore how they handle across various genres, guided by over a decade of hands-on shooting experience.

• Portraits:
  A850 wins hands down. Full-frame sensor allows shallow depth of field, excellent skin tone reproduction, and pairing with portrait primes for beautiful bokeh. The W570’s small sensor and fixed lens lead to flat images with little separation.

• Landscape:
  Again, the A850’s superior dynamic range and resolution make it a better pick for landscapes. Environmental sealing means it can handle harsher conditions. The W570’s limited dynamic range and low-res LCD hampers composition for detailed landscape work.

• Wildlife:
  The A850 offers better autofocus accuracy and potential telephoto lenses. Its 3 fps frame rate is on the low side but usable with patience. The W570’s slow AF and 1 fps burst make it unfit beyond casual bird portraits.

• Sports:
  Neither is an ideal sports shooter, but A850’s faster AF and shutter speeds place it ahead. W570 is strictly for snapshot-level sports coverage.

• Street:
  The W570’s size and quiet operation make it discreet for street shooters, but image quality under tricky lighting is limited. A850 is bulkier but offers better images if you’re okay with carrying the gear.

• Macro:
  A850 benefits from dedicated macro lenses and sensor-based stabilization. The W570’s 5cm macro is serviceable for casual close-ups but lacks focusing precision or magnification power.

• Night and Astro:
  The Sony A850’s high ISO capability (native ISO up to 3200) and longer exposures excel here. W570 noise kills quality beyond low ISO and brief exposures.

• Video:
  The A850 does not record video (a serious limitation by today’s standards). The W570 records 720p HD video at 30fps, with optical stabilization, fitting casual video needs. Neither offers external audio inputs.

• Travel:
  The W570’s portability, light weight, and versatility make it ideal for travel if weight and compactness are priorities. The A850 is better if image quality and creative control matter more than size.

• Professional Work:
  The A850 shoots RAW with all the processing latitude pros demand, paired with extensive lens options. It can integrate into DSLR workflows easily. The W570 outputs JPEG only and lacks professional features.

Real-World Sample Images: Seeing Is Believing

If technical specs don’t convince you, maybe some real-world images will.

Sony A850 front Sony A850 screen back Sony W570 front Sony W570 screen back

Here are two sets of images captured side by side, under similar lighting and conditions. Notice the sharpness, color fidelity, and noise levels on the Sony A850 images versus the W570. The DSLR images show detailed textures and depth, while the compact images, while usable for social media or family albums, lack punch and dynamic nuance.

What’s Inside: Performance Scores and Rankings

To sum up key performance metrics, here’s a visual recap that puts their overall strengths into perspective.

Unsurprisingly, the A850 dominates across image quality and versatility metrics. The W570 scores well only in portability and casual ease of use.

Summing Up Value for Your Photography Dollar

To put these cameras in everyday perspective:

*As of launch date; prices may vary now.

Final Recommendation: Which Sony Camera Is Right for You?

If you’re a serious enthusiast or professional photographer who values image quality, control, and creative flexibility over portability, the Sony A850 remains an intriguing option to consider on the used market. Its full-frame sensor and extensive lens choices enable you to capture images with breathtaking detail, dynamic range, and excellent low-light capability even today.

Just keep in mind the A850’s lack of live view, no video, and slower burst rate aren’t suited for modern-day video creators or fast-paced sports shooters. Also, it’s hefty in size and requires a significant investment in quality lenses.

Alternatively, if you want a budget-friendly, grab-and-go camera for everyday snapshots, travel, or casual shooting, and you’re willing to trade image quality for convenience, the Sony W570 fits the bill. It’s simple, effective, and pocket-friendly but don’t expect pro-level photos.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Sony A850

Pros:

• Full-frame 25MP sensor delivers exceptional image quality
• Extensive lens ecosystem (140+ lenses)
• Robust build with environmental sealing
• Full manual controls and RAW output
• Large 3-inch LCD and optical pentaprism viewfinder
• Dual memory card slots for professional workflows

Cons:

• Heavy and bulky body (895g)
• No live view or video recording capability
• Modest autofocus points and slow burst rate (3 fps)
• No illuminated buttons for low-light shooting

Sony W570

Pros:

• Ultra-compact, lightweight, and pocketable
• 5x optical zoom with optical image stabilization
• Simple point-and-shoot operation for beginners
• HD video recording capability (720p)
• Low price and Eye-Fi wireless transfer support

Cons:

• Small 1/2.3” sensor limits image quality, especially in low light
• No manual controls or RAW support
• Sluggish autofocus and minimal burst capability (1 fps)
• No viewfinder and low-res LCD screen

In the end, your choice comes down to what you want to achieve with your photography and how much gear you’re willing to carry. The Sony A850 is a gateway into serious DSLR imaging with legacy glass and solid build, while the Sony W570 makes an excellent ultra-budget compact companion.

Make your decision wisely - after all, your camera should inspire you to create, not frustrate your shooting workflow!

Happy shooting, and may your next camera never leave your side.

The End