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Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
54
Imaging
67
Features
62
Overall
65
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Key Specs

Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Introduced October 2008
  • Successor is Sony A99
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Released June 2013
  • Older Model is Sony RX100
  • New Model is Sony RX100 III
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Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Sony A900 versus Sony RX100 II, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both are offered by Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the A900 (25MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the A900 (Full frame) and RX100 II (1") use different sensor measurements.

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The A900 was introduced 5 years before the RX100 II and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the A900 matches up against the RX100 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Sony RX100 II

 A900 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Sony A900

 RX100 II A900 
ReleasedJune 2013October 2008Fresher by 56 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k922kCrisper display (+307k dot)

Common features in the Sony A900 and Sony RX100 II

 A900 RX100 II 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony A900 provides external measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 II has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Check the Sony A900 versus Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the A900 compared to the RX100 II.

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the A900 and RX100 II is 54 and 89 respectively.

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing just by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A900 and RX100 II.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A900 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony A900 will result in more detail using its extra 5MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older A900 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A900 Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography details
72
manual focus
high resolution (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
70
focusing manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000s)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A900 Street photography factors
Sony RX100 II Street photography factors
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
fixed screen
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others (281g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A900 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Sports photography camera
71
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
high resolution (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather sealing
has phase detect AF
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
67
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
provides tracking focus
better than average battery life (350 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A900 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Travel photography camera
55
weather sealing
high resolution (25MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
80
better than average battery life (350 per charge)
lighter than others (281 grams)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A900 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
high resolution (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
two card slots
no liveview
missing Time Lapse mode
74
focusing manually
really wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
better than average battery life (350 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A900
Vlogging with Sony RX100 II
9
no video shooting
37
really wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (281g)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone port
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Sony A900 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A900 and Sony RX100 II
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A900Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Type Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2008-10-22 2013-06-27
Body design Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 6048 x 4032 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 922 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 895g (1.97 lbs) 281g (0.62 lbs)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 79 67
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 12.4
DXO Low light rating 1431 483
Other
Battery life 880 images 350 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32 SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two 1
Pricing at release $2,736 $598