Sony A850 vs Sony W830

On this page, we will be looking at the Sony A850 versus Sony W830, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both produced by Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and W830 (20MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and W830 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A850 was brought out 4 years earlier than the W830 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W830 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the A850 grades versus the W830 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830. The entire galleries are available at Sony A850 Gallery and Sony W830 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A850 features outer 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) whilst the Sony W830 has sizing of 93mm x 52mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

Check the Sony A850 versus Sony W830 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the A850 against the W830.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and W830 is 54 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading through specs. The graphic here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and W830.

All in all, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A850 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony A850 will give you more detail having its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A850 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.