Sony S950 vs Sony A99

In this article, we are matching up the Sony S950 and Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are built by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the S950 (10MP) and A99 (24MP) and the S950 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The S950 was brought out 4 years before the A99 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony S950 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick summation of how the S950 scores against the A99 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 and Sony SLT-A99. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony S950 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony S950 offers exterior measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Sony A99 has proportions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check out the Sony S950 and Sony A99 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the S950 vs the A99.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the S950 and A99 is 94 and 57 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by checking out specs. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the S950 and A99.

All in all, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The S950 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A99 will provide greater detail having its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The older S950 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.