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Sony RX10 vs Sony S950

Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Key Specs

Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Renewed by Sony RX10 II
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Announced February 2009
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Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Overview

The following is a complete overview of the Sony RX10 vs Sony S950, one is a Large Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both built by Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the RX10 (20MP) and S950 (10MP) and the RX10 (1") and S950 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

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The RX10 was manufactured 5 years after the S950 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the RX10 matches up versus the S950 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Sony S950

 RX10 S950 
AnnouncedMarch 2014February 2009Newer by 62 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1290k230kCrisper screen (+1060k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony RX10

 S950 RX10 

Common features in the Sony RX10 and Sony S950

 RX10 S950 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera often, you need to factor its weight and size. The Sony RX10 provides outside measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs) and the Sony S950 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the RX10 vs the S950.

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the RX10 and S950 is 58 and 94 respectively.

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by going over a spec sheet. The image here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the RX10 and S950.

Clearly, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The RX10 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony RX10 will offer you extra detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more modern RX10 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony RX10
Portrait photography with Sony S950
70
has manual focus
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
26
focusing manually
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony RX10
Street photography with Sony S950
72
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX10 Sports photography highlights
Sony S950 Sports photography highlights
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
environment sealing
good battery power (420 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
24
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX10 Travel photography details
Sony S950 Travel photography details
58
good battery power (420 per charge)
environment sealing
MP count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
50
built-in flash
no Timelapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX10 Landscape photography information
Sony S950 Landscape photography information
63
has manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
good battery power (420 CIPA)
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
31
focusing manually
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX10 Vlogging information
Sony S950 Vlogging information
30
reasonably wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic port
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
9
no video
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Sony RX10 vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX10 and Sony S950
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Class Large Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-03-20 2009-02-17
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz X -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5472 x 3648 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-200mm (8.3x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Focal length multiplier 2.7 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,290k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech WhiteMagic -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/3200 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.20 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 813g (1.79 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 69 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 474 not tested
Other
Battery life 420 shots -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $698 $130