Sony A850 vs Sony WX30

On this page, we are evaluating the Sony A850 and Sony WX30, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and WX30 (16MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and WX30 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

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The A850 was unveiled 15 months before the WX30 making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony WX30 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A850 matches up versus the WX30 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30. The full galleries are provided at Sony A850 Gallery and Sony WX30 Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony A850 features external measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony WX30 has proportions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Sony A850 and Sony WX30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the A850 against the WX30.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and WX30 is 54 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions just by reading specs. The image below may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A850 and WX30.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A850 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony A850 will deliver greater detail having an extra 9MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more aged A850 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.