Sony a1 vs Sony RX100

Its time to look closer at the Sony a1 vs Sony RX100, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both created by Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the a1 (50MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the a1 (Full frame) and RX100 (1") feature totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The a1 was revealed 8 years later than the RX100 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the a1 matches up versus the RX100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha a1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The full galleries are viewable at Sony a1 Gallery and Sony RX100 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony a1 has got outside dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check the Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the a1 vs the RX100.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the a1 and RX100 is 61 and 91 respectively.

Normally, its tough to see the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading through technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the a1 and RX100.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The a1 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Sony a1 will give more detail because of its extra 30 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The more recent a1 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.