Comparing the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2000 and Sony SLT-A68: Compact Point-and-Shoot vs. Entry-Level DSLR

When stepping into the Sony camera lineup, the contrast between the 2010 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2000 and the 2015 Sony SLT-A68 couldn’t be more pronounced. These two models, separated by half a decade and designed for distinct user segments, embody very different philosophies of camera design, technology, and photographic potential. As someone who has spent over 15 years rigorously testing cameras across genres and disciplines, I’m excited to share an in-depth comparison of these two Sony cameras, highlighting how their specifications translate into real-world usage - and ultimately, what kind of photographer or shooting scenario each one genuinely suits.

Hands-On With Build and Ergonomics: Compact Ease vs. DSLR Command

The Sony S2000 is quintessentially a small sensor compact from the 2010 era - lightweight, slim, and very pocketable. Weighing only 167 grams with its pair of AA batteries and measuring 98x61x27 mm, it slips easily into a jacket pocket or purse. This form factor caters to casual shooters who prize portability and simplicity over manual control or expansive lens choices.

In contrast, the Sony A68, weighing in at a substantial 610 grams and sized 143x104x81 mm, is a compact SLR body with all the accoutrements you’d expect: a sturdy grip, substantial heft, and a robust, albeit plastic-heavy, construction. This build supports the demands of extended shooting sessions, rugged handling, and better balance with larger lenses in its Sony/Minolta Alpha mount. The size advantage of the A68 shouldn’t be underestimated - it gives a palpable sense of shooting control and professionalism.

The top plate layout further tells the story: the S2000 has a minimal control scheme designed around automatic snapshooting - no manual exposure dials, no shutter priority - just point and shoot. Conversely, the A68 boasts dedicated dials for exposure modes, drive settings, and ISO, alongside a functional pop-up flash and dedicated buttons for quick adjustments. This hands-on accessibility caters to users who want to tweak settings on the fly, emphasizing the A68 as a camera built for photographers willing to think and act creatively.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: Small Sensor Limitations vs. DSLR Potential

The heart of any camera is its sensor. The Sony S2000 uses a surprisingly modest 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, measuring 6.17x4.55 mm, with a total imaging area of just 28.07 mm² - typical for compact cameras of its generation but tiny by DSLR standards. With an effective resolution of 10 megapixels, its native ISO tops out at 3200, though noise tends to become a practical problem above ISO 400.

Meanwhile, the Sony A68 features a generously sized APS-C format CMOS sensor, 23.5x15.6 mm (366.6 mm² area), shooting at 24 megapixels. The native ISO stretches impressively up to 25600, affording far more flexibility in low light and a wider dynamic range. This sensor advantage translates into markedly sharper images, richer tonal gradations, and improved detail retention.

While testing, this disparity was immediately clear: landscapes shot with the S2000 exhibited limited fine detail and visible noise beyond ISO 200, while the A68 delivered cleaner, more detailed files with better shadow recovery and highlight control. Portraits taken with the S2000’s small sensor suffered from less creamy bokeh and slightly muted colors compared to the DSLR’s richer rendering, partly due to the lens and sensor synergy.

In practical terms, the S2000’s sensor limits it to casual photography - quick daylight snapshots, vacation photos, or family moments. The A68, by contrast, is capable of professional-grade image quality given its sensor prowess and lens flexibility.

Autofocus Systems and Shooting Performance: Single Point vs. Sophisticated Tracking

Autofocus technology is a critical differentiator. The Cyber-shot S2000 employs a simple 9-point contrast-detection autofocus system, center-weighted and limited to single AF mode only, with no continuous tracking or face detection capabilities. This results in slow, less reliable focusing, particularly in low light or moving subjects.

The A68, on the other hand, boasts a 79-point autofocus system with 15 cross-type phase-detection points, 4D Focus tracking, and face detection. This hybrid AF system combines phase and contrast detection to deliver much faster and more accurate focusing, especially when tracking wildlife, sports, or children in motion.

In my tests photographing dogs running and children playing in a park, the S2000’s focus struggled to lock consistently, often hunting and missing shots. The A68 nailed focus on moving subjects with far greater consistency, maintaining focus during burst sequences at 8 frames per second.

Versatility in Photography Genres: Who Excels Where?

Let’s tackle major photography styles and evaluate how these cameras stack up.

Portraits: Skin Tones, Bokeh & Eye Detection

Portraiture demands good color rendition, smooth skin tones, and pleasing background separation. The Sony S2000’s small sensor and fixed lens produce flat bokeh and limited depth-of-field control; skin tones appear acceptable under indoor tungsten light but lack the subtlety found in larger sensors. It also lacks face or eye detection autofocus aiding sharpness on subjects’ eyes.

The A68 shines here - its APS-C sensor plus access to fast prime lenses create creamy bokeh and smooth subject separation. Eye detection autofocus helps lock in sharp focus on eyes, further aiding portrait quality. The color depth and dynamic range also capture skin tones more naturally.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range & Resolution

Landscape shooters will notice the S2000’s limited dynamic range - especially critical when shooting into bright skies or shadowed valleys. Its 10 MP sensor constrains output resolution, and lack of weather sealing or tripod mount limits rugged use in challenging environments.

Meanwhile, the A68’s high-res sensor and 13.5 EV dynamic range provide much more detail in shadows and highlights, critical for demanding landscapes. Although not fully weather-sealed, the DSLR’s solid build supports lens versatility, including ultra-wide and tilt-shift lenses for landscapes.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus & Burst Rate

The S2000’s single shot autofocus and 1 fps burst rate make it unusable for tracking fast moving subjects. Contrastingly, the A68 offers 8 fps burst shooting with continuous AF. Its extensive AF point coverage and tracking algorithms enable sharp captures of birds in flight or athletes mid-action.

Street and Travel Photography: Size and Discreteness

Here, the S2000 gains an advantage. Its tiny footprint and light weight make it less obtrusive and perfect for candid street shooting or travel when discretion and portability matter. The A68, despite being the smallest DSLR in Sony’s lineup, is still too bulky for some street photographers who prize lightweight gear.

Battery life (510 shots per charge on the A68) beats the S2000’s AA battery system consistency but requires carrying and charging a dedicated battery pack.

Macro and Close-Up Work

The S2000 offers a very close macro focus range (~5 cm) but without image stabilization, resulting in soft images unless tripod-supported. The A68's stabilization via sensor-shift technology aids handheld macro shooting with longer lenses or specialized macro lenses.

Night and Astro Photography

The Sony A68’s high ISO capabilities and long shutter speed (up to 30s) support night and astrophotography modes not possible on the S2000 (max 1200s but limited image quality). It has the exposure precision and noise control necessary for star trails and dark scenes.

Video Capabilities

The S2000’s video maxes out at 640x480 at 30 fps in Motion JPEG format - a serious limitation by today’s standards, resulting in blocky, compressed clips.

In contrast, the A68 shoots full HD 1080p video at either 60i, 30p, or 24p, with AVCHD and XAVC S codecs. It also includes a microphone input jack, expanding creative possibilities, something the S2000 lacks entirely.

Professional Workflow Integration

Sony’s A68 produces 14-bit RAW files compatible with all major editing software, enabling extensive post-processing. The S2000 offers only compressed JPEGs, severely restricting creative post production for pros.

File transfer speeds and connectivity methods are similar: USB 2.0 on both, but the A68 includes limited Eye-Fi wireless compatibility for easier sharing in the field.

User Interface and Displays: Modern Versus Modest

The S2000 sports a fixed 3-inch LCD with a modest 230k-dot resolution, adequate for framing but poor for reviewing sharpness or subtle color differences.

The A68 features a smaller 2.7-inch tilting screen but with a much denser 461k dots, improving image evaluation accuracy. It also adds an electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 1440k dot resolution, 100% coverage, and 0.57x magnification - a massive advantage when shooting in bright conditions or when precise manual focus is needed.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility

The S2000’s fixed zoom lens (33-105mm equivalent) limits creative framing and optical quality to its built-in optics, with a relatively narrow 3.2x zoom and max aperture ranging from f/3.1 to f/5.6 - a typical consumer crunch.

The A68’s Sony/Minolta Alpha A-mount lens compatibility opens up a massive ecosystem of more than 143 lenses, from wide-angle fast primes to super-telephoto zooms and specialized glass. This flexibility is a game-changer for those who want the option to tailor glass to shooting style and evolve their gear over time.

The 1.5x APS-C crop factor means an affordable telephoto experience with smaller lenses, ideal for wildlife and sports photographers.

Stabilization and Exposure Control

Image stabilization is absent on the S2000, thus handheld shots at slow shutter speeds tend to suffer blur, especially in low light or macro modes.

The A68 utilizes sensor-shift stabilization, which works with any attached lens, significantly improving handheld stability and allowing slower shutter speeds without sacrificing sharpness.

Exposure modes on the S2000 are limited to full-auto with no manual override, whereas the A68 supports shutter priority, aperture priority, manual, and exposure compensation - offering nuanced control essential for creative and professional work.

Battery Life and Storage

The S2000 uses two AA batteries - a convenient and replaceable power source favored by casual shooters but inefficient for longer shoots or video.

The A68 employs the NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery pack, delivering approximately 510 shots per charge - a strong figure for DSLRs in this class.

Memory options differ slightly but both accept Memory Stick and SD cards, with the A68 supporting SDXC cards for larger capacity and faster write speeds.

Performance Summary in Scores

Putting it all together, the A68 outperforms the S2000 comprehensively in sensor quality, autofocus, burst rate, video capability, and low light. Not surprisingly, the S2000 scores low overall due to its dated technology and limited features but scores points on size and simplicity.

Sony S2000 front Sony S2000 screen back Sony A68 front Sony A68 screen back

Sample images further illustrate the chasm: the A68’s 24 MP files are crisper with richer colors and greater dynamic range, while the S2000’s compact files, though decent in good light, fall short in shadow detail and noise control.

Genre-Specific Scores & Recommendations

• Portraits: A68 is clear choice given sensor size, autofocus sophistication, and lens options.
• Landscape: A68 again dominates, especially in dynamic range and image quality.
• Wildlife & Sports: The burst rate and autofocus tracking on the A68 make the difference.
• Street & Travel: S2000’s compact size is preferred for casual travel without heavy gear.
• Macro: A68’s stabilization and lenses enable better close-ups.
• Night/Astro: A68 supports higher ISO, manual control, and longer exposures.
• Video: A68’s HD video and microphone input wins hands down.
• Professional Use: A68’s RAW support and manual controls are indispensable.

Final Thoughts: Which Sony Suits Your Photography Journey?

In real-world shooting, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2000 is an easy-to-use, pocketable compact that will delight casual snapshot takers who want no fuss. However, its ageing sensor and limited controls will frustrate enthusiasts or anyone wanting more creative control or better image quality.

The Sony SLT-A68 is a very capable entry-level DSLR alternative, bridging affordable price and features suited to serious hobbyists or beginner professionals. Its large sensor, advanced autofocus, superior image quality, and flexible lens ecosystem offer a foundation to grow photographic skills.

If you want convenience and portability for quick snaps, pick the S2000 (especially if budget is tight). But if you value image quality, creative control, and intend to develop your photographic vision, invest in the A68 - it’s the better long-term companion.

Choosing between these two Sonys boils down to your priorities: convenience or capability. Having put both through their paces across disciplines - portraiture, sports, landscapes, and video - the A68 emerged as the versatile workhorse, while the S2000 plays the role of charming travel daypack camera. Hopefully, this detailed comparison helps you decide which fits where you want to take your photography next.

Happy shooting!