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Sony A850 vs Sony A33

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony SLT-A33 front
Portability
67
Imaging
54
Features
80
Overall
64

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Released April 2010
Sony A33
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released August 2010
  • Replacement is Sony A35
Photography Glossary

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Overview

The following is a thorough review of the Sony A850 versus Sony A33, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both created by Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and A33 (14MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and A33 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A850 was brought out 4 months earlier than the A33 and they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the A850 scores versus the A33 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony A33

 A850 A33 
Display resolution922k921kClearer display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A33 over the Sony A850

 A33 A850 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony A33

 A850 A33 
ReleasedApril 2010August 2010Similar generation
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Touch display No Touch display

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Sony A850 provides 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) and the Sony A33 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Sony A850 versus Sony A33 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the A850 compared to the A33.

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and A33 is 54 and 67 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by looking at technical specs. The pic here should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the A850 and A33.

As you have seen, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A850 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony A850 will give you greater detail having its extra 11MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics way more aggressively.

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A33 as a Portrait photography camera
72
you can focus manually
MP count great (25MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
72
focusing manually
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 Street photography advice
Sony A33 Street photography advice
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
76
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony A850 Sports photography info
Sony A33 Sports photography info
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count great (25MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
low battery power (340 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A850 Travel photography highlights
Sony A33 Travel photography highlights
55
environment sealing
MP count great (25 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
61
decent MP (14MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
no Timelapse function
low battery power (340 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 Landscape photography info
Sony A33 Landscape photography info
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count great (25 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
2 card slots
no liveview feature
no Time Lapse recording
67
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
low battery power (340 per charge)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A850
Vlogging with Sony A33
9
no video
77
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external microphone support
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Sony A850 vs Sony A33 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony A33
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony SLT-A33
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony SLT-A33
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-04-15 2010-08-24
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6048 x 4032 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 922k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 pounds) 500 grams (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 70
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 12.6
DXO Low light rating 1415 591
Other
Battery life 880 photos 340 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 One
Price at launch $0 $230