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Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980

Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced May 2014
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 II
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 IV
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Launched February 2009
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Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Overview

In this write-up, we are evaluating the Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Sony. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the RX100 III (20MP) and S980 (12MP) and the RX100 III (1") and S980 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The RX100 III was announced 5 years later than the S980 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the RX100 III matches up versus the S980 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony S980

 RX100 III S980 
LaunchedMay 2014February 2009Fresher by 64 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony RX100 III

 S980 RX100 III 

Common features in the Sony RX100 III and Sony S980

 RX100 III S980 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera often, you need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony RX100 III has got exterior measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the RX100 III versus the S980.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the RX100 III and S980 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing only by going over a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the RX100 III and S980.

As you can see, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The RX100 III using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 III will offer more detail with its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images far more aggressively. The more modern RX100 III provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 III as a Portrait photography camera
Sony S980 as a Portrait photography camera
64
manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
no external flash support
27
you can focus manually
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
low resolution sensor (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony RX100 III
Street photography with Sony S980
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than average (290g)
47
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 III Sports photography info
Sony S980 Sports photography info
65
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
has tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect auto focus
17
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 III as a Travel photography camera
Sony S980 as a Travel photography camera
85
lighter than average (290g)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
fairly wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
51
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 III Landscape photography advice
Sony S980 Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
27
you can focus manually
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 III Vlogging factors
Sony S980 Vlogging factors
80
fairly wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average (290g)
lack of external microphone support
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not have selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic port
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Sony RX100 III vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 III and Sony S980
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Category Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-05-15 2009-02-17
Body design Large Sensor Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz X -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 13.2 x 8.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5472 x 3648 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-70mm (2.9x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/1.8-2.8 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range 5cm 10cm
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 1,229 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.59x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 3.50 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/2000 secs -
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), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 290 gr (0.64 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 67 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 495 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-BX1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $748 $300