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Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Comparison

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Sigma Quattro H

45 MP | APS-H (26.6 x 17.9 mm) CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor

Sigma Quattro H
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Sony A1

50 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) Stacked CMOS Sensor

Sony A1
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Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing Quattro H and A1, two Mirrorless cameras from Sigma and Sony. Sigma sd Quattro H is a Advanced Mirrorless class camera and Sony Alpha A1 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera.

Sigma Quattro H was introduced to market in February 2016 and Sony A1 was launched in January 2021. As you can see, Quattro H is 5 years older than A1. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sigma Quattro H Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-02-23
  • 45MP - APS-H CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sigma SA Bayonet Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 3.8fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 0g. 147 x 95 x 91 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Sony A1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2021-01-26
  • 50MP - Full frame Stacked CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50 - 102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 9437k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0fps (30.0fps Electronic) continuous shooting
  • 8K - 7680 x 4320 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 737g. 129 x 97 x81 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Sigma sd Quattro H over Sony Alpha A1
LCD Resolution
1.620k dots vs 1.440k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Weight
0 g vs 737 g 737 g lighter
CHECK Quattro H PRICE


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A1 over Sigma sd Quattro H
Gyroscopic Stabilization
Yes vs No Stabilize video in post process
Zero Blackout Viewfinder
Yes vs No No Blackout during continuous shooting
Video Record Limit
Unlimited vs Limited Record clips longer than 30 minutes
Anti-dust Shutter Mechanism
Yes vs No Shutter is closed to protect the sensor
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnif.
0.9x vs 0.73x Larger Viewfinder
Sensor Resolution
50 MP vs 45 MP 11% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 6.400 400% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
759 vs 9 750 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
30.0fps vs 3.8fps 26.2 fps faster
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution
9437.184k dot vs 2360k dot 299% higher resolution
Max Video Resolution
7680 x 4320 vs None Higher Resolution Video
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Full-size HDMI Port
Yes vs No Use standard HDMI cables without adapters
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (199 MP) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
CFexpress Card Support
Yes (Type A) vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject
CHECK A1 PRICE

Common Strengths of Sigma sd Quattro H and Sony Alpha A1
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
45 MP vs 50 MP Bigger prints and more details
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sigma sd Quattro H and Sony Alpha A1
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sigma Quattro H has external dimensions of 147 x 95 x 91 mm (5.79 x 3.74 x 3.58″) and weighs 635g (including batteries). Sony A1 has external dimensions of 129 x 97 x 81 mm (5.08 x 3.82 x 3.19″) and weighs 737 g (1.62 lb / 26.00 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1. Sony A1 is 18mm narrower and 10mm thinner than Sigma Quattro H but it is also 2mm taller.

Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1.

Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1.
Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sigma Quattro H is 737g lighter than the Sony A1 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A1 has a Full frame sensor and Sigma Quattro H has a smaller APS-H sensor, Sigma Quattro H's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A1 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

Quattro H
A1
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

Quattro H
A1
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both Quattro H and A1 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Sony A1 features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Sigma Quattro H has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A1.
Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1: Sensor Comparison

Sigma Quattro H has a 45.0MP APS-H (26.6 x 17.9 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features Dual TRUE III processor. On the other hand, Sony A1 has a 50.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized Stacked CMOS sensor and features Dual Bionz XR processor.

Sony A1's sensor provides 5MP more than Sigma Quattro H's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sigma Quattro H's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the Quattro H and A1 sensor size comparison.

Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A1 has a 1.8x Larger sensor area than Sigma Quattro H. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A1 has an advantage over Sigma Quattro H There are 184 lenses for Sony A1's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 77 lenses for Sigma Quattro H's Sigma SA Bayonet lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A1 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. A1's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Sigma Quattro H doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 29 lenses for Sigma SA Bayonet mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sigma Quattro H Lenses # of Sony A1 Lenses
Standard Zoom 9 18 (13 Full Frame)
Standard Prime 5 32 (18 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 8 12 (10 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 8 57 (39 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 19 15 (13 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime 8 26 (20 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 9 10 (2 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 4 2 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime 7 9 (8 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime n/a 2 (2 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 77 184 (125 Full Frame)

What types of Photography are Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sigma Quattro H for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Sony A1 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-H (26.6 x 17.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 45.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 50.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sigma Quattro H for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A1 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-H (26.6 x 17.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Sigma Quattro H for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A1 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 3.8fps
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.8fps
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
759 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 530 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Anti Flicker feature
Read the details

Sigma Quattro H for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A1 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-H (26.6 x 17.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
0g
Medium size Body
Body Thickness 91mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Anti Flicker feature
Medium size Body
737g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Sigma Quattro H for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A1 for Landscape Photography

GOOD
Large APS-H (26.6 x 17.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 45.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 50.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Sigma Quattro H vs Sony A1: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sigma Quattro H and Sony A1 scores compare:

Sigma Quattro H
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #68 out of 130 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #338 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Sony A1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #2 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony A1 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sigma Quattro H in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Sigma Quattro H. Otherwise, Sony A1 is the better camera overall.

Sigma Quattro H
Sigma Quattro H
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Sony A1
Sony A1
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Sony A1 vs Sigma Quattro H Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sigma sd Quattro H Sony Alpha A1
Brand Sigma Sony
Announced 2016-02-23 2021-01-26
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS (Foveon X3) Stacked CMOS
Size APS-H Full frame
Dimensions 26.6 x 17.9 mm 35.9 x 24 mm
Area 476.14mm2 861.60mm2
Megapixels 45 megapixels 50 megapixels
Max Resolution 6200 x 4152 8640 x 5760
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 32,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 102400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 759
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sigma SA Bayonet Sony E
Number of Available Lenses 77 184
Screen
Type Fixed type Tilting
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,620k dots 1,440k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots 9,437k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.73x 0.9x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter n/a 1/32000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/400s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.8 fps 10.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None 7680 x 4320
Video Formats n/a XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 0g 737g
Dimensions 147 x 95 x 91mm 129 x 97 x81mm
Battery Life n/a 530 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 98
DxO Color Depth not tested 25.9
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 14.5
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 3163
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