Sony W710 vs Sony A57

Below is a detailed analysis of the Sony W710 and Sony A57, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are created by Sony. The image resolution of the W710 (16MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very close but the W710 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

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The W710 was introduced 4 months later than the A57 and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony W710 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the W710 scores against the A57 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W710 & Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony W710 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony W710 comes with external dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 114 grams (0.25 lbs) while the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") and a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check out the Sony W710 and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the W710 compared to the A57.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the W710 and A57 is 96 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the W710 and A57.

As you can see, both of those cameras feature the identical resolution but different sensor measurements. The W710 has the smaller sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field tougher.