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Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57

Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Key Specs

Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Old Model is Sony RX100
  • New Model is Sony RX100 III
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Released September 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A55
  • Successor is Sony A58
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Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Sony RX100 II versus Sony A57, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are produced by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the RX100 II (20MP) and A57 (16MP) and the RX100 II (1") and A57 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The RX100 II was unveiled 10 months later than the A57 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the RX100 II matches up vs the A57 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Sony A57

 RX100 II A57 
ReleasedJune 2013September 2012More recent by 10 months
Display resolution1229k921kCrisper display (+308k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Sony RX100 II

 A57 RX100 II 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony RX100 II and Sony A57

 RX100 II A57 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony RX100 II enjoys exterior 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 A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Contrast the Sony RX100 II versus Sony A57 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the RX100 II versus the A57.

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the RX100 II and A57 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through specs. The visual here will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the RX100 II and A57.

All in all, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The RX100 II having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony RX100 II will provide you with more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern RX100 II provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony RX100 II
Portrait photography with Sony A57
70
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
features face detect focus
exports RAW files
74
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony RX100 II
Street photography with Sony A57
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than competition in class (281g)
75
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 II Sports photography factors
Sony A57 Sports photography factors
67
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
features tracking focus
great battery power (350 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
78
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 II Travel photography features
Sony A57 Travel photography features
80
great battery power (350 CIPA)
lighter than competition in class (281 grams)
decent MP (20MP)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
67
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 II as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A57 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
great battery power (350 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
72
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 II Vlogging advice
Sony A57 Vlogging advice
37
rather wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (281 grams)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone socket
77
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone support
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Sony RX100 II vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 II and Sony A57
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IISony SLT-A57
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II Sony SLT-A57
Type Large Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2013-06-27 2012-09-13
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1" APS-C
Sensor measurements 13.2 x 8.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 116.2mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
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 16000
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW images
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 25 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-100mm (3.6x) -
Largest aperture f/1.8-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 2.7 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,229 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W)) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/2000s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 281 gr (0.62 pounds) 618 gr (1.36 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 67 75
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 13.0
DXO Low light score 483 785
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 550 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BX1 NP-FM500H
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)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail cost $598 $1,000