Sony W800 vs Sony A37

Its time to examine more in depth at the Sony W800 versus Sony A37, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both designed by Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the W800 (20MP) and A37 (16MP) and the W800 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The W800 was unveiled 22 months after the A37 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony W800 being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a short summation of how the W800 grades versus the A37 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800 and Sony SLT-A37. The full galleries are provided at Sony W800 Gallery and Sony A37 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony W800 has got outer measurements of 97mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Sony W800 versus Sony A37 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the W800 versus the A37.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the W800 and A37 is 96 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to picture the gap in sensor sizes simply by seeing technical specs. The pic here will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the W800 and A37.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The W800 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony W800 will provide greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger W800 should have a benefit in sensor technology.