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Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950

Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Key Specs

Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed June 2015
  • Previous Model is Sony RX100 III
  • Updated by Sony RX100 V
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Introduced February 2009
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Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Overview

Below is a extended overview of the Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are offered by Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the RX100 IV (20MP) and S950 (10MP) and the RX100 IV (1") and S950 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The RX100 IV was launched 6 years later than the S950 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a short introduction of how the RX100 IV grades against the S950 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 IV over the Sony S950

 RX100 IV S950 
IntroducedJune 2015February 2009More recent by 77 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony RX100 IV

 S950 RX100 IV 

Common features in the Sony RX100 IV and Sony S950

 RX100 IV S950 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Sony RX100 IV has outer measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs) while the Sony S950 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the RX100 IV against the S950.

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the RX100 IV and S950 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over specs. The photograph underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the RX100 IV and S950.

All in all, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The RX100 IV featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 IV will deliver more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics more aggressively. The newer RX100 IV will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 IV Portrait photography info
Sony S950 Portrait photography info
65
focusing manually
great flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
26
has manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 IV Street photography info
Sony S950 Street photography info
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than others (298g)
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 IV Sports photography information
Sony S950 Sports photography information
68
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
high max frames per second (16.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
includes tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
24
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 IV Travel photography details
Sony S950 Travel photography details
86
lighter than others (298g)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
relatively wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
50
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 IV Landscape photography features
Sony S950 Landscape photography features
74
focusing manually
relatively wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
31
has manual focus
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 IV Vlogging details
Sony S950 Vlogging details
81
relatively wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than others (298g)
doesn't have mic jack
9
can't record video
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Sony RX100 IV vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 IV and Sony S950
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IVSony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Category Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2015-06-10 2009-02-17
Body design Large Sensor Compact Compact
Sensor Information
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 area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 10 megapixel
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
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-70mm (2.9x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-2.8 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance 5cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 2.7 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 1,229 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.59x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 16.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 3.50 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/2000 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 298 gr (0.66 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Physical 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 All around score 70 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 562 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-BX1 -
Self timer Yes 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 One One
Pricing at launch $898 $130