Clicky

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37

Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Previous Model is Sony RX100
  • Later Model is Sony RX100 III
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced May 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony A35
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Overview

In this article, we are analyzing the Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are built by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the RX100 II (20MP) and A37 (16MP) and the RX100 II (1") and A37 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The RX100 II was brought out 14 months after the A37 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the RX100 II scores vs the A37 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Sony A37

 RX100 II A37 
IntroducedJune 2013May 2012Newer by 14 months
Display sizing3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Sony RX100 II

 A37 RX100 II 

Common features in the Sony RX100 II and Sony A37

 RX100 II A37 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Sony RX100 II provides external dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs) and the Sony A37 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check out the Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the RX100 II vs the A37.

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the RX100 II and A37 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions merely by checking out a spec sheet. The picture below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the RX100 II and A37.

As you can see, both of those cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The RX100 II due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony RX100 II will show more detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The younger RX100 II should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 II Portrait photography features
Sony A37 Portrait photography features
70
manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Sony RX100 II as a Street photography camera
Sony A37 as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (281 grams)
77
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
good ISO range (25,600)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 II Sports photography highlights
Sony A37 Sports photography highlights
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (6.0 frames/s)
bad battery power (500 per charge)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 II as a Travel photography camera
Sony A37 as a Travel photography camera
80
better than average battery (350 CIPA)
lighter than competitors in class (281g)
good MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
54
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
bad battery power (500 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 II Landscape photography factors
Sony A37 Landscape photography factors
74
manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW files
better than average battery (350 per charge)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
64
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.6 inches)
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 II Vlogging details
Sony A37 Vlogging details
37
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (281 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone port
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 II and Sony A37
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IISony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II Sony SLT-A37
Category Large Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2013-06-27 2012-05-16
Body design Large Sensor Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 13.2 x 8.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5472 x 3648 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 25 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-100mm (3.6x) -
Highest aperture f/1.8-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 2.7 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 2.6"
Resolution of display 1,229k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W)) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/2000 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 281g (0.62 pounds) 506g (1.12 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 67 75
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 12.9
DXO Low light score 483 799
Other
Battery life 350 images 500 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $598 $522