Sony A850 vs Sony WX5

Let's look closer at the Sony A850 versus Sony WX5, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and WX5 (12MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and WX5 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The A850 was announced 2 months earlier than the WX5 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony WX5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a brief summation of how the A850 grades versus the WX5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5. The whole galleries are available at Sony A850 Gallery & Sony WX5 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A850 features 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) whilst the Sony WX5 has proportions of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") having a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A850 versus Sony WX5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the A850 vs the WX5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A850 and WX5 is 54 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes merely by seeing specs. The picture below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and WX5.

As you can plainly see, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A850 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony A850 will show greater detail with its extra 13 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively.