Sony a5000 vs Sony S980

Here is a in depth analysis of the Sony a5000 versus Sony S980, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the a5000 (20MP) and S980 (12MP) and the a5000 (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The a5000 was announced 4 years later than the S980 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the a5000 grades against the S980 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha a5000 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The whole galleries are available at Sony a5000 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Sony a5000 has outer dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Look at the Sony a5000 versus Sony S980 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the a5000 compared to the S980.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the a5000 and S980 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing just by viewing specs. The visual here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the a5000 and S980.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The a5000 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony a5000 will result in greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more recent a5000 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.