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Sony A850 vs Sony WX30

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
41
Overall
39

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 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
  • Revealed April 2010
Sony WX30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Launched July 2011
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Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony WX30

 A850 WX30 
Manual focus Very accurate focus

Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Sony A850

 WX30 A850 
LaunchedJuly 2011April 2010Newer by 15 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony WX30

 A850 WX30 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Display resolution922k922kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 size comparison

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

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography info
Sony WX30 Portrait photography info
72
focusing manually
amazing sensor resolution (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
30
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Street photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
no moving screen
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A850 Sports photography details
Sony WX30 Sports photography details
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing sensor resolution (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A850
Travel photography with Sony WX30
55
environment sealing
amazing sensor resolution (25MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than others (117g)
megapixel count good (16MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A850
Landscape photography with Sony WX30
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing sensor resolution (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
no liveview feature
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
43
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
manual mode not available
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging highlights
Sony WX30 Vlogging highlights
9
no video shooting
35
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (117 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone support
Photography Glossary

Sony A850 vs Sony WX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony WX30
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-04-15 2011-07-25
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 25MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6048 x 4032 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 9
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 range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 922 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD XtraFine TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.70 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 895 grams (1.97 lb) 117 grams (0.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" 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 pictures 250 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 1
Retail pricing $0 $259