Sony H20 vs Sony A77

Following is a extended analysis of the Sony H20 vs Sony A77, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are produced by Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the H20 (10MP) and A77 (24MP) and the H20 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The H20 was released 3 years prior to the A77 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony H20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summary of how the H20 matches up against the A77 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 & Sony SLT-A77. The complete galleries are provided at Sony H20 Gallery & Sony A77 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Sony H20 offers physical dimensions of 107mm x 69mm x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9") with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sony A77 has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Contrast the Sony H20 vs Sony A77 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the H20 and the A77.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the H20 and A77 is 87 and 59 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes just by researching a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the H20 and A77.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The H20 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A77 will render greater detail as a result of its extra 14MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged H20 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.