Clicky

Sony A850 vs Sony A37

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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 A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced May 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony A35
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Sony A850 versus Sony A37, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are offered by Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and A37 (16MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and A37 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizing.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The A850 was manufactured 3 years before the A37 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the A850 matches up vs the A37 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony A37

 A850 A37 
Screen sizing3"2.6"Bigger screen (+0.4")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Sony A850

 A37 A850 
IntroducedMay 2012April 2010Newer by 25 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony A37

 A850 A37 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A850 features physical dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony A37 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Sony A850 versus Sony A37 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the A850 and the A37.

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A850 and A37 is 54 and 67 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through specs. The picture below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and A37.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A850 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sony A850 will resolve more detail due to its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged A850 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A850
Portrait photography with Sony A37
72
manual focus
megapixel count great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
no liveview
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A850
Street photography with Sony A37
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proof
fixed screen
77
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
very good high ISO (25,600)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Sony A850 Sports photography highlights
Sony A37 Sports photography highlights
71
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
slow fps (6.0 fps)
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A850
Travel photography with Sony A37
55
weather proof
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
54
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (500 per charge)
does not contain selfie friendly display
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 Landscape photography information
Sony A37 Landscape photography information
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proof
2 card slots
no liveview
doesn't have Time Lapse function
64
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.6")
terrible battery pack (500 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging factors
Sony A37 Vlogging factors
9
can't record video
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has microphone port
does not contain selfie friendly display
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sony A850 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony A37
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony SLT-A37
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-04-15 2012-05-16
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 6048 x 4032 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Max enhanced ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.6 inch
Display resolution 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings 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
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 895 gr (1.97 pounds) 506 gr (1.12 pounds)
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 Overall rating 79 75
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 12.9
DXO Low light rating 1415 799
Other
Battery life 880 photos 500 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two One
Price at release $0 $522