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Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230

Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
25
Overall
31

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 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
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 II
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 IV
Sony W230
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 30-120mm (F2.8-5.8) lens
  • 156g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Released February 2009
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Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 Overview

Here, we are analyzing the Sony RX100 III versus Sony W230, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the RX100 III (20MP) and W230 (12MP) and the RX100 III (1") and W230 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The RX100 III was launched 5 years after the W230 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony W230 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the RX100 III matches up versus the W230 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony W230

 RX100 III W230 
ReleasedMay 2014February 2009Newer by 64 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k230kCrisper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony W230 over the Sony RX100 III

 W230 RX100 III 

Common features in the Sony RX100 III and Sony W230

 RX100 III W230 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Sony RX100 III has got outer dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs) and the Sony W230 has specifications of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check the Sony RX100 III versus Sony W230 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the RX100 III against the W230.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the RX100 III and W230 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions only by reading specs. The picture underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the RX100 III and W230.

All in all, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The RX100 III due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony RX100 III will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more recent RX100 III is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 III Portrait photography features
Sony W230 Portrait photography features
64
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
external flash not possible
27
has manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 III as a Street photography camera
Sony W230 as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than others in class (290g)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 III Sports photography factors
Sony W230 Sports photography factors
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
supports tracking autofocus
has no phase detect autofocus
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 III Travel photography details
Sony W230 Travel photography details
85
lighter than others in class (290 grams)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
pretty wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (30mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 III Landscape photography information
Sony W230 Landscape photography information
73
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
37
has manual focus
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (30mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 III Vlogging information
Sony W230 Vlogging information
80
pretty wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (290g)
no external microphone port
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (30mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external microphone socket
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Sony RX100 III vs Sony W230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 III and Sony W230
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
Category Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-05-15 2009-02-17
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5472 x 3648 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 125 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
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) 30-120mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/1.8-2.8 f/2.8-5.8
Macro focus range 5cm 4cm
Focal length multiplier 2.7 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,229 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.59x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 1 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 3.90 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/2000 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 290 grams (0.64 pounds) 156 grams (0.34 pounds)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images -
Style 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 shooting With downloadable app
Storage type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $748 $180