Sony S980 vs Sony A58

Below, we will be comparing the Sony S980 and Sony A58, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are created by Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the S980 (12MP) and A58 (20MP) and the S980 (1/2.3") and A58 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The S980 was launched 5 years earlier than the A58 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony S980 being a Compact camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a simple summary of how the S980 grades against the A58 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 & Sony SLT-A58. The complete galleries are provided at Sony S980 Gallery & Sony A58 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony S980 offers outer dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Sony A58 has proportions of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony S980 and Sony A58 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the S980 vs the A58.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the S980 and A58 is 94 and 68 respectively.

Usually, its tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The photograph here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the S980 and A58.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S980 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A58 will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older S980 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.