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Sony RX100 vs Sony W230

Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
25
Overall
30

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Key Specs

Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed August 2012
  • Updated by Sony RX100 II
Sony W230
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 30-120mm (F2.8-5.8) lens
  • 156g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Revealed February 2009
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Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Overview

Here, we will be looking at the Sony RX100 and Sony W230, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are produced by Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the RX100 (20MP) and W230 (12MP) and the RX100 (1") and W230 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The RX100 was unveiled 3 years after the W230 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony W230 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the RX100 matches up against the W230 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony W230

 RX100 W230 
RevealedAugust 2012February 2009Newer by 43 months
Screen resolution1229k230kClearer screen (+999k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W230 over the Sony RX100

 W230 RX100 

Common features in the Sony RX100 and Sony W230

 RX100 W230 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony RX100 has got physical dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) while the Sony W230 has sizing of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony RX100 and Sony W230 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the RX100 vs the W230.

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the RX100 and W230 is 91 and 95 respectively.

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 top view buttons comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specifications. The pic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the RX100 and W230.

To sum up, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The RX100 having a bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony RX100 will offer you extra detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The younger RX100 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 sensor size comparison

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony RX100
Portrait photography with Sony W230
64
has manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
no external flash support
27
focusing manually
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony RX100 Street photography advice
Sony W230 Street photography advice
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than others in class (240g)
very good ISO range (25,600)
no articulating screen
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony RX100 as a Sports photography camera
Sony W230 as a Sports photography camera
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
provides tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max fps low (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony RX100 Travel photography info
Sony W230 Travel photography info
79
lighter than others in class (240g)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
51
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (30mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony RX100 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W230 as a Landscape photography camera
74
has manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
36
focusing manually
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (30mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual exposure
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony RX100 Vlogging features
Sony W230 Vlogging features
38
decently wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (240 grams)
does not have selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic port
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (30mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
no microphone support
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Sony RX100 vs Sony W230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony RX100 and Sony W230
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
Class Large Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-08-28 2009-02-17
Physical type Large Sensor Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type 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 20MP 12MP
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 25600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-100mm (3.6x) 30-120mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-4.9 f/2.8-5.8
Macro focus distance 5cm 4cm
Focal length multiplier 2.7 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,229k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech WhiteMagic TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 1 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/2000 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 240 gr (0.53 lbs) 156 gr (0.34 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 390 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-BX1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail cost $448 $180