Sony W620 vs Sony A37

Following is a extended assessment of the Sony W620 vs Sony A37, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are offered by Sony. The sensor resolution of the W620 (14MP) and the A37 (16MP) is very well matched but the W620 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The W620 was introduced 4 months earlier than the A37 so they are of a similar age. Both cameras feature different body design with the Sony W620 being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a brief summation of how the W620 scores vs the A37 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W620 & Sony SLT-A37. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony W620 Gallery & Sony A37 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony W620 enjoys physical dimensions of 98mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 116 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sony A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

See the Sony W620 vs Sony A37 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the W620 against the A37.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the W620 and A37 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes merely by reading through a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the W620 and A37.

Clearly, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The W620 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A37 will give greater detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively.