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Sony S980 vs Sony A65

Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
 
Sony SLT-A65 front
Portability
64
Imaging
63
Features
85
Overall
71

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Key Specs

Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Released February 2009
Sony A65
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 622g - 132 x 97 x 81mm
  • Released November 2011
  • Newer Model is Sony A68
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Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Overview

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Sony S980 versus Sony A65, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both designed by Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the S980 (12MP) and A65 (24MP) and the S980 (1/2.3") and A65 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The S980 was brought out 3 years before the A65 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony S980 being a Compact camera and the Sony A65 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the S980 matches up versus the A65 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A65

 S980 A65 

Reasons to pick Sony A65 over the Sony S980

 A65 S980 
ReleasedNovember 2011February 2009Newer by 33 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony S980 and Sony A65

 S980 A65 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony S980 enjoys physical measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Sony A65 has dimensions of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

Analyze the Sony S980 versus Sony A65 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the S980 vs the A65.

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the S980 and A65 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 top view buttons comparison

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to envision the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through specifications. The image here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the S980 and A65.

To sum up, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The S980 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A65 will show extra detail having its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged S980 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 sensor size comparison

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony S980
Portrait photography with Sony A65
27
focusing manually
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
77
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony S980
Street photography with Sony A65
47
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
77
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony S980 Sports photography highlights
Sony A65 Sports photography highlights
17
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
81
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony S980 Travel photography features
Sony A65 Travel photography features
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
68
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony S980 Landscape photography details
Sony A65 Landscape photography details
27
focusing manually
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Timelapse function
75
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony S980 Vlogging info
Sony A65 Vlogging info
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone jack
78
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external mic socket
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Sony S980 vs Sony A65 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony S980 and Sony A65
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980Sony SLT-A65
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 Sony SLT-A65
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-02-17 2011-11-15
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.2 -
Macro focus range 10cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 2s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.50 m 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 167 gr (0.37 lbs) 622 gr (1.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 132 x 97 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 74
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.6
DXO Low light score not tested 717
Other
Battery life - 560 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $300 $700