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Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II

Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 II front
Portability
62
Imaging
65
Features
85
Overall
73

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II 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
  • Revealed February 2009
Sony A77 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 647g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Revealed May 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A77
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Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II Overview

Let's look more closely at the Sony S980 and Sony A77 II, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR and they are both offered by Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the S980 (12MP) and A77 II (24MP) and the S980 (1/2.3") and A77 II (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The S980 was announced 6 years prior to the A77 II which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony S980 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the S980 matches up versus the A77 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony A77 II

 S980 A77 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A77 II over the Sony S980

 A77 II S980 
RevealedMay 2014February 2009Newer by 63 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kCrisper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony S980 and Sony A77 II

 S980 A77 II 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony S980 provides exterior measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Sony A77 II has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 647 grams (1.43 lbs).

Compare the Sony S980 and Sony A77 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the S980 and the A77 II.

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the S980 and A77 II is 94 and 62 respectively.

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II top view buttons comparison

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be difficult to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by going over technical specs. The image below will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the S980 and A77 II.

As you can tell, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S980 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A77 II will offer you more detail with its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos more aggressively. The more aged S980 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II sensor size comparison

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony S980 Portrait photography information
Sony A77 II Portrait photography information
27
focusing manually
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
79
manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony S980 Street photography details
Sony A77 II Street photography details
47
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
76
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony S980 Sports photography highlights
Sony A77 II Sports photography highlights
17
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low resolution (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony S980
Travel photography with Sony A77 II
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
64
weather proofing
decent MP (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
no Timelapse function
terrible battery (480 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony S980
Landscape photography with Sony A77 II
27
focusing manually
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
73
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
terrible battery (480 CIPA)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony S980
Vlogging with Sony A77 II
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone support
77
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone socket
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Sony S980 vs Sony A77 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony S980 and Sony A77 II
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980Sony SLT-A77 II
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 Sony SLT-A77 II
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2009-02-17 2014-05-21
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias 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 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 50
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 79
Cross type focus points - 15
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.2 -
Macro focusing distance 10cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 2 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, fill, rear sync, slow sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
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 (60p, 60i, 30p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 167 gr (0.37 pounds) 647 gr (1.43 pounds)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 82
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1013
Other
Battery life - 480 images
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (Yes (2 or 12 sec))
Time lapse recording
Storage type Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $300 $1,198