Sony A850 vs Sony W730

In this article, we are reviewing the Sony A850 vs Sony W730, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are produced by Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and W730 (16MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and W730 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The A850 was brought out 3 years before the W730 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W730 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the A850 grades versus the W730 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W730. The entire galleries are provided at Sony A850 Gallery & Sony W730 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A850 features outer measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony W730 has proportions of 93mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") along with a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A850 vs Sony W730 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the A850 against the W730.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and W730 is 54 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to envision the difference in sensor dimensions only by looking through specifications. The image here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A850 and W730.

To sum up, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The A850 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony A850 will render greater detail having its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged A850 will be behind in sensor technology.