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Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Kodak Z981

14 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

Kodak Z981
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Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Kodak Z981, which was introduced in July 2010 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 14.0MP 1/2.3" sensor. As you can see, Z981 is 4 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Kodak Z981 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-07-06
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" CCD Sensor
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 26-676 mm F2.8-5.0 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 540g. 124 x 85 x 105 mm

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Kodak EasyShare Z981

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Kodak EasyShare Z981
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max ISO
409.600 vs 6.400 6300% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 201k dots 511% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 1.0fps 4 fps faster
Weight
489 g vs 540 g 51 g lighter
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 2.01µm2 3444% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone


Reasons to choose Kodak EasyShare Z981 over Sony Alpha A7S
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution
14 MP vs 12 MP 16% more pixels

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Kodak EasyShare Z981
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Kodak EasyShare Z981
Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981: 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 Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Kodak Z981 has external dimensions of 124 x 85 x 105 mm (4.88 x 3.35 x 4.13″) and weighs 540 g (1.19 lb / 19.05 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981. Kodak Z981 is 3mm narrower and 9mm shorter than Sony A7S but it is also 57mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Kodak Z981 has a built-in lens but Sony A7S doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7S, its thickness will increase significantly.

Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981.

Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981.
Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is 51g lighter than the Kodak Z981 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on A7S, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over Z981 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Kodak Z981's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S 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 Kodak Z981 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Kodak Z981 has a 14.0MP 1/2.3" (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the A7S and Z981 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 30.9x Larger sensor area than Kodak Z981. 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.

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 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.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Kodak Z981 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Kodak Z981 for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Kodak Z981 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
676 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Kodak Z981 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
26.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
540g
Body Thickness 105mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Kodak Z981 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Kodak Z981: 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 Sony A7S and Kodak Z981, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 Sony A7S and Kodak Z981 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Kodak Z981
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #75 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #651 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Kodak Z981 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Kodak Z981
Kodak Z981
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Kodak Z981 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Kodak EasyShare Z981
Brand Sony Kodak
Announced 2014-04-06 2010-07-06
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type CMOS CCD
Size Full frame 1/2.3"
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 6.08 x 4.56 mm
Area 855.62mm2 27.72mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4288 x 3216
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 64 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 25 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 26-676 mm (26×)
Max Aperture no lens F2.8-5.0
Macro Focus Range no lens 10cm
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 201k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots n/a
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 6.20 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 1.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 540g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 124 x 85 x 105mm
Battery Life 360 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 not tested
DxO Color Depth 23.9 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 not tested
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