Sony W350 vs Sony A57

Here is a detailed review of the Sony W350 vs Sony A57, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both offered by Sony. The sensor resolution of the W350 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very well matched but the W350 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The W350 was released 3 years before the A57 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony W350 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the W350 matches up versus the A57 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350 and Sony SLT-A57. The complete galleries are provided at Sony W350 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony W350 provides external dimensions of 91mm x 52mm x 17mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony A57 has proportions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Compare the Sony W350 vs Sony A57 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the W350 vs the A57.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the W350 and A57 is 97 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the W350 and A57.

As you can see, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The W350 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A57 will give you more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos much more aggressively. The older W350 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.