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Sony A850 vs Sony W650

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Boost to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Released April 2010
Sony W650
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 124g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
Photography Glossary

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Overview

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Sony A850 vs Sony W650, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and W650 (16MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and W650 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The A850 was manufactured 21 months earlier than the W650 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W650 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the A850 matches up versus the W650 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony W650

 A850 W650 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W650 over the Sony A850

 W650 A850 
IntroducedJanuary 2012April 2010More recent by 21 months

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony W650

 A850 W650 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony A850 has got exterior dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) while the Sony W650 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 124 grams (0.27 lbs).

Check the Sony A850 vs Sony W650 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the A850 compared to the W650.

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and W650 is 54 and 96 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by researching a spec sheet. The visual here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the A850 and W650.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A850 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony A850 will result in extra detail due to its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older A850 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography advice
Sony W650 Portrait photography advice
72
has manual focus
amazing megapixels (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
no liveview feature
34
MP count good (16 megapixels)
supports face detect focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 Street photography features
Sony W650 Street photography features
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen is fixed
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (124g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A850
Sports photography with Sony W650
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
supports tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A850 Travel photography information
Sony W650 Travel photography information
55
environment sealing
amazing megapixels (25 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competition in class (124 grams)
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 Landscape photography advice
Sony W650 Landscape photography advice
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
no liveview feature
missing Time Lapse function
43
fairly wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging details
Sony W650 Vlogging details
9
no video
33
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (124 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.6)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic support
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Sony A850 vs Sony W650 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony W650
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-04-15 2012-01-10
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 6048 x 4032 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 922k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology TFT Xtra Fine color LCD Clear Photo TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.70 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 895g (1.97 lbs) 124g (0.27 lbs)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 photographs 220 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, microSD/micro SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Dual One
Pricing at launch $0 $140