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Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980

Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
80
Overall
63
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Sony RX100 V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced October 2016
  • Older Model is Sony RX100 IV
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 VI
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
  • Revealed February 2009
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Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 Overview

In this article, we are reviewing the Sony RX100 V versus Sony S980, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the RX100 V (20MP) and S980 (12MP) and the RX100 V (1") and S980 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The RX100 V was released 7 years after the S980 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the RX100 V scores versus the S980 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 V over the Sony S980

 RX100 V S980 
RevealedOctober 2016February 2009More modern by 93 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony RX100 V

 S980 RX100 V 

Common features in the Sony RX100 V and Sony S980

 RX100 V S980 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony RX100 V has outside dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs) and the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony RX100 V versus Sony S980 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the RX100 V versus the S980.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the RX100 V and S980 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by researching technical specs. The picture here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the RX100 V and S980.

As you have seen, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The RX100 V because of its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 V will result in more detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more recent RX100 V will have an advantage in sensor tech.

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony RX100 V Portrait photography details
Sony S980 Portrait photography details
66
you can focus manually
great flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
features face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
no external flash support
27
manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony RX100 V
Street photography with Sony S980
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors (299 grams)
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 V as a Sports photography camera
Sony S980 as a Sports photography camera
70
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
max fps high (24.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
features tracking autofocus
has phase detect AF
not so great battery (220 per charge)
17
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 V Travel photography advice
Sony S980 Travel photography advice
80
lighter than competitors (299 grams)
MP count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
pretty wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
not so great battery (220 CIPA)
51
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low resolution (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 V Landscape photography features
Sony S980 Landscape photography features
70
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
not so great battery (220 per charge)
27
manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony RX100 V
Vlogging with Sony S980
81
pretty wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than competitors (299g)
no external microphone jack
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
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Sony RX100 V vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 V and Sony S980
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Type Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2016-10-06 2009-02-17
Body design 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 area 116.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5472 x 3648 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Min boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 315 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-70mm (2.9x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-2.8 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range 5cm 10cm
Crop factor 2.7 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 1,229k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.59x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 24.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.20 m (at Auto ISO) 3.50 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/2000 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 299g (0.66 lbs) 167g (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 All around rating 70 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 586 not tested
Other
Battery life 220 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-BX1 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording 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
Retail price $998 $300