Sony S980 vs YI M1

Below is a extensive assessment of the Sony S980 versus YI M1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Sony and YI. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the S980 (12MP) and M1 (20MP) and the S980 (1/2.3") and M1 (Four Thirds) feature different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The S980 was launched 8 years prior to the M1 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony S980 being a Compact camera and the YI M1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the S980 matches up against the M1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 and YI M1. The complete galleries are viewable at Sony S980 Gallery and YI M1 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony S980 offers outside 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) while the YI M1 has sizing of 114mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 350 grams (0.77 lbs).

Examine the Sony S980 versus YI M1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the S980 against the M1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the S980 and M1 is 94 and 87 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The graphic below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the S980 and M1.

To sum up, the two cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S980 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the YI M1 will give greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older S980 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.