Sony W560 vs Sony A57

Below is a detailed assessment of the Sony W560 versus Sony A57, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are produced by Sony. The image resolution of the W560 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the W560 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

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The W560 was launched 20 months earlier than the A57 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony W560 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the W560 grades versus the A57 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560 & Sony SLT-A57. The complete galleries are provided at Sony W560 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Sony W560 has got outside dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs) while the Sony A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Sony W560 versus Sony A57 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the W560 compared to the A57.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the W560 and A57 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The photograph below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the W560 and A57.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The W560 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A57 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older W560 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.