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 Sigma DP2 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). Sigma DP2 has external dimensions of 113 x 60 x 56 mm (4.45 x 2.36 x 2.2″) and weighs 280 g (0.62 lb / 9.88 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Sigma DP2. Sigma DP2 is 14mm narrower and 34mm shorter than Sony A7S but it is also 8mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Sigma DP2 has a built-in lens but Sony A7S doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7S, its thickness will increase significantly.
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sigma DP2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sigma DP2 is significantly lighter (209g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
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 DP2 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Sigma DP2's 2.5" screen.
In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7S LCD screen also has a
Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Sigma DP2 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
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, Sigma DP2 has a 5.0MP APS-C (20.7 x 13.8 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor .
Sony A7S's sensor provides 7MP more than Sigma DP2'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 DP2 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sigma DP2 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S has a 3.0x Larger sensor area than Sigma DP2. 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.
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Sigma DP2 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
Sigma DP2 for Portrait Photography
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 (20.7 x 13.8 mm) sensor
External Flash Shoe
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 5.0MP
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Sigma DP2 for Street Photography
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 (20.7 x 13.8 mm) sensor
Small Body
Live-view
Fast Lens at Wide: f
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
41 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Sigma DP2 for Sports Photography
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
External Flash Shoe
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
41 mm Tele Lens
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Sigma DP2 for Daily Photography
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 (20.7 x 13.8 mm) sensor
Compact Body
280g
Body Thickness 56mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Sigma DP2 for Landscape Photography
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 (20.7 x 13.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 5.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
41 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details
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 Sigma DP2, 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 Sigma DP2 scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sigma DP2
Ranked
#52 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked
#686 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sigma DP2 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.
General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Sigma DP2 |
Brand |
Sony |
Sigma |
Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2009-09-21 |
Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Large sensor compact |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CMOS (Foveon X3) |
Size |
Full frame |
APS-C |
Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
20.7 x 13.8 mm |
Area |
855.62mm2 |
285.66mm2 |
Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
5 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
2640 x 1760 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
3,200 ISO |
Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
200 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 |
41 mm (1×) |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Tilting |
Fixed type |
Size |
3 |
2.5" |
Resolution |
1,230k dots |
230k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
Electronic |
None |
Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
no electronic viewfinder |
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 |
No |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
4.30 m |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
3.0 fps |
Multi-Segment |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Spot |
|
|
Partial |
|
|
AF-Area |
|
|
Center Weighted |
|
|
AE Bracketing |
|
|
WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
Max Video Resolution |
3840 x 2160 |
320 x 240 |
Video Formats |
MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC |
Motion JPEG |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
489g |
280g |
Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
113 x 60 x 56mm |
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 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |