Sony A7S vs Samsung NX20 Comparison

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Sony A7S

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

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Samsung NX20

20 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7S vs Samsung NX20 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Samsung. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Samsung NX20 was launched in April 2012. As you can see, NX20 is 2 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Samsung NX20 has a 20.0MP APS-C sensor.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 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

Samsung NX20 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-04-20

20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 12800

Samsung NX Mount

3" Fully Articulated Screen

Electronic viewfinder

8 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

341g. 122 x 90 x 40 mm

Replaced Samsung NX11 Compare

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 Samsung NX20

Samsung NX20 was replaced by Samsung NX30. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Samsung NX30 vs Samsung NX20
Samsung NX30 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Samsung NX20

Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x vs 0.7x	Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO	409.600 vs 12.800	3100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	25 vs 15	10 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 614k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth	23.9 vs 23.4	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.2 vs 12.9	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3702 vs 785	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.24µm² vs 18.48µm²	285% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range	±5 EV vs ±3 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for 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 Samsung NX20 over Sony Alpha A7S

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 12 MP	66% more pixels
Continuous Shooting	8.0fps vs 5.0fps	3 fps faster
Weight	341 g vs 489 g	148 g lighter
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Samsung NX20

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Adjustable LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fully Articulated	Flexible shooting positions
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
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Samsung NX20

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization

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Sony A7S vs Samsung NX20: 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 Samsung NX20 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). Samsung NX20 has external dimensions of 122 x 90 x 40 mm (4.8 x 3.54 x 1.57″) and weighs 341 g (0.75 lb / 12.03 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20. Samsung NX20 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 5mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 8mm thinner than Sony A7S.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20.

Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Samsung NX20 is significantly lighter (148g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

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 A7S has a Full frame sensor and Samsung NX20 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Samsung NX20's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S

NX20

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S

NX20

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over NX20 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Samsung NX20's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Sony A7S features a Tilting only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Samsung NX20 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.

Sony A7S vs Samsung NX20: 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, Samsung NX20 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Samsung NX20's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A7S'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.

Below you can see the A7S and NX20 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Samsung NX20. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 12 points higher than NX20.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Sony A7S	87	23.9 bits	13.2 Evs	3702 ISO
Samsung NX20	75	23.4 bits	12.9 Evs	785 ISO

Sony A7S vs Samsung NX20 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 A7S has an advantage over Samsung NX20. There are 122 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 32 lenses for Samsung NX20's Samsung NX lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 30 lenses for Sony E mount and 7 lenses for Samsung NX mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7S Lenses	# of Samsung NX20 Lenses
Standard Zoom	11 (8 Full Frame)	4
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	5
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	1
Wideangle Prime	39 (23 Full Frame)	11
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	2
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	3
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	1
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	4
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	1
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	122 (77 Full Frame)	32

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Samsung NX20 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

Samsung NX20 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

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Samsung NX20 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

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Samsung NX20 for Sports Photography

GOOD

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

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
15 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Samsung NX20 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

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
341g
Body Thickness 40mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Samsung NX20 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Samsung NX20: 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 Samsung NX20, 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 Samsung NX20 scores compare:

Sony A7S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #38 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Samsung NX20

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #67 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #187 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Samsung NX20 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Sony A7S.

Samsung NX20 vs Sony A7S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha A7S	Samsung NX20
Brand	Sony	Samsung
Announced	2014-04-06	2012-04-20
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	APS-C
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	23.5 x 15.7 mm
Area	855.62mm²	368.95mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	20 megapixels
Max Resolution	4240 x 2832	5472 x 3648
Max Native Light sensitivity	409,600 ISO	12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 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	15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony E	Samsung NX
Number of Available Lenses	122	32
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fully Articulated
Size	3	3"
Resolution	1,230k dots	614k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	n/a
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x	0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	11.00 m
Max Flash Sync	no built-in flash	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps	8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	489g	341g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 48mm	122 x 90 x 40mm
Battery Life	360 shots	360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording	With Downloadable App
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	87	75
DxO Color Depth	23.9	23.4
DxO Dynamic Range	13.2	12.9
DxO Low Light ISO	3702	785
	Report a correction	Report a correction