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Sony A7S vs Sony A57 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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Sony A57

16 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A57
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Sony A7S vs Sony A57 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Sony cameras 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 Sony A57, which was introduced in September 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 19 months difference between A7S and A57 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger A7S, especially in sensor tech.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Sony A57 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

Sony A57 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-09-13
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 16000 ( expands to 25600)
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 618g. 132 x 98 x 81 mm
  • Replaced Sony SLT-A55 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 Sony SLT-A57

Sony A57 was replaced by Sony SLT-A58. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony SLT-A58 vs Sony SLT-A57
Sony SLT-A58 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Sony A57 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Sony SLT-A57
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Viewfinder Magnification
0.71x vs 0.7x Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO
409.600 vs 16.000 2460% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
25 vs 15 10 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 921k dots 33% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Weight
489 g vs 618 g 129 g lighter
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Viewfinder Resolution
2359k dot vs 1440k dot 63% higher resolution
Color Depth
23.9 vs 23.4 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.2 vs 13.0 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 785 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 22.87µm2 211% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
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 Sony SLT-A57 over Sony Alpha A7S
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 5.0fps 7 fps faster
Battery Life
550 shots vs 360 shots 190 more frames with a single charge
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Sony SLT-A57
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 Sony SLT-A57
Sony A7S vs Sony A57: 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 Sony A57 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). Sony A57 has external dimensions of 132 x 98 x 81 mm (5.2 x 3.86 x 3.19″) and weighs 618 g (1.36 lb / 21.80 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Sony A57. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 5mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 33mm thinner than Sony A57.

Sony A7S vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony A57 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Sony A57.
Sony A7S vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony A57 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is significantly lighter (129g ) than the Sony A57 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 Sony A57 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Sony A57's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
A57
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
A57
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over A57 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Sony A57'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, Sony A57 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.
Sony A7S vs Sony A57: 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, Sony A57 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the A7S and A57 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Sony A57 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony A57 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony A57. 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 Sony A57 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 A57.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Sony A57 75 23.4 bits 13.0 Evs 785 ISO
Sony A7S vs Sony A57 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 A57 has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 143 lenses for Sony A57's Sony/Minolta Alpha mount, on the other hand there are only 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A57 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. On the other hand, Sony A7S doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Sony A57 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 20
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 9
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 11
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 18
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 26
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 12
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 4
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 12
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 10
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 2
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 143


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Sony A57 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1375gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM Lens Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
24 - 75mm 577gr 1195gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 1969gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM Lens Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM
82.5 - 300mm 305gr 923gr 85mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1267gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 35mm F1.4 G Lens Sony 35mm F1.4 G
35mm 510gr 1128gr 76mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1169gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD Lens Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD
15 - 36mm 406gr 1024gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1152gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Lens Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA
24 - 120mm 445gr 1063gr 83mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 1884gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II Lens Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II
70 - 400mm 1500gr 2118gr 196mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Sony A57 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Sony A57 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

Sony A57 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
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 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
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 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
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
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 550 shots
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A57 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 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
618g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 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 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Sony A57: 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 Sony A57, 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 Sony A57 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
Sony A57
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #10 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #150 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S scores higher than the Sony A57 thanks to its better general imaging quality, compact size and higher value for the money. On the other hand, Sony A57 has some extra features which may become a game changer if you have some specific requirements.
We recommend you to read our detailed Pro's and Con's section and see if any Pro of Sony A57 is a must-have for you. If not, choose the Sony A7S.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Sony A57
Sony A57
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Sony A57 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Sony SLT-A57
Brand Sony Sony
Announced 2014-04-06 2012-09-13
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 855.62mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 16,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 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 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 128 143
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 12.0 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, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 618g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 132 x 98 x 81mm
Battery Life 360 shots 550 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 75
DxO Color Depth 23.9 23.4
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 13.0
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 785
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