Sony a5000 vs Sony S950

Lets take a closer look at the Sony a5000 versus Sony S950, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are offered by Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the a5000 (20MP) and S950 (10MP) and the a5000 (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The a5000 was introduced 4 years after the S950 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the a5000 scores against the S950 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha a5000 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The whole galleries are available at Sony a5000 Gallery & Sony S950 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony a5000 features external dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Sony S950 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Look at the Sony a5000 versus Sony S950 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the a5000 vs the S950.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the a5000 and S950 is 89 and 94 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through technical specs. The pic here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the a5000 and S950.

As you have seen, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The a5000 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony a5000 will give greater detail using its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The fresher a5000 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.