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Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA

Portability
61
Imaging
82
Features
93
Overall
86
Sony Alpha a1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Key Specs

Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Raise to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Released January 2021
Sony RX100 VA
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced July 2018
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Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VA, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both built by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the a1 (50MP) and RX100 VA (20MP) and the a1 (Full frame) and RX100 VA (1") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The a1 was announced 2 years later than the RX100 VA and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the a1 matches up against the RX100 VA with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Sony RX100 VA

 a1 RX100 VA 
AnnouncedJanuary 2021July 2018More recent by 31 months
Display resolution1440k1229kCrisper display (+211k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VA over the Sony a1

 RX100 VA a1 
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VA

 a1 RX100 VA 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony a1 has external dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Sony RX100 VA has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Examine the Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VA in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the a1 vs the RX100 VA.

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the a1 and RX100 VA is 61 and 89 respectively.

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA top view buttons comparison

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing specifications. The graphic underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the a1 and RX100 VA.

Plainly, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The a1 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony a1 will render greater detail with its extra 30 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos much more aggressively. The more modern a1 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA sensor size comparison

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a1 Portrait photography info
Sony RX100 VA Portrait photography info
89
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/400 seconds)
megapixel count great (50 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
66
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony a1 Street photography features
Sony RX100 VA Street photography features
79
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
environment proof
above average ISO range (32,000)
86
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than competitors (299 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony a1 Sports photography information
Sony RX100 VA Sports photography information
91
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count great (50 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
great battery pack (530 CIPA)
supports phase detect AF
70
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (24.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
features tracking autofocus
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery power (220 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony a1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 VA as a Travel photography camera
74
great battery pack (530 shots)
environment proof
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
megapixel count great (50MP)
display is not selfie friendly
76
lighter than competitors (299g)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
fairly wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (220 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony a1
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 VA
88
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count great (50 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
above average ISO range (32,000)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
great battery pack (530 shots)
two card slots
66
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
bad battery power (220 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony a1 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 VA Vlogging factors
37
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (7680 x 4320 resolution)
comes with external microphone socket
display is not selfie friendly
81
fairly wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than competitors (299g)
doesn't have external mic support
Photography Glossary

Sony a1 vs Sony RX100 VA Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a1 and Sony RX100 VA
 Sony Alpha a1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
Category Pro Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Released 2021-01-26 2018-07-13
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1"
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 50 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 8640 x 5760 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 32000 12800
Highest boosted ISO 102400 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Min boosted ISO 50 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 759 315
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 133 -
Focal length multiplier 1 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,440k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 9,437k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.9x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/32000s 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 30.0 frames per sec 24.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/400s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 7680x4320 3840x2160
Video data format XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 737 gr (1.62 lbs) 299 gr (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 530 images 220 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 One
Price at launch $6,498 $998