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Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2 Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Sigma DP2

5 MP | APS-C (20.7 x 13.8 mm) CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor

Sigma DP2
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Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7R III, which was introduced in October 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Sigma DP2, which was introduced in September 2009 is a Large Sensor Compact camera with a 5.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, DP2 is 8 years older than A7R III. 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 A7R III and Sigma DP2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50 - 102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha A7R II Compare

Sigma DP2 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-09-21
  • 5MP - APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 3200
  • 41 mm f Prime Lens
  • 2.50" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3.0fps continuous shooting
  • - 320 x 240 video resolution
  • 280g. 113 x 60 x 56 mm

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sigma DP2

Sigma DP2 was replaced by Sigma DP2s. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sigma DP2s vs Sigma DP2
Sigma DP2s vs Sony Alpha A7R III

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Sigma DP2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Sigma DP2
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
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 5 MP 740% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 3.200 900% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
3″ vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Resolution
1.440k dots vs 230k dots 526% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 3.0fps 7 fps faster
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
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 320 x 240 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (169. 6) 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
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 A7R III PRICE


Reasons to choose Sigma DP2 over Sony Alpha A7R III
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Weight
280 g vs 657 g 377 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
61.43µm2 vs 20.43µm2 200% larger pixel area
CHECK DP2 PRICE

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Sigma DP2
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Sigma DP2
LCD Screen Size
2.50" vs 2.50" Small display
Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2: 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 A7R III and Sigma DP2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 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 A7R III and Sigma DP2. Sigma DP2 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 14mm narrower, 36mm shorter and 18mm thinner than Sony A7R III. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Sigma DP2 has a built-in lens but Sony A7R III doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7R III, its thickness will increase significantly.

Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III 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 (377g ) than the Sony A7R III 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 A7R III, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7R III has a big advantage over DP2 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sigma DP2's 2.5" screen.

In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7R III 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 A7R III.
Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-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 A7R III's sensor provides 37MP 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.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III'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 A7R III and DP2 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sigma DP2 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R III 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.

What types of Photography are Sony A7R III and Sigma DP2 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III 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 A7R III for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Sigma DP2 for Portrait Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
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 A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sigma DP2 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
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
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 A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sigma DP2 for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
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 A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Sigma DP2 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (20.7 x 13.8 mm) sensor
Compact Body
280g
Body Thickness 56mm
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Sigma DP2 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
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

Sony A7R III vs Sigma DP2: 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 A7R III and Sigma DP2, 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 Sony A7R III and Sigma DP2 scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #11 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #11 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Sigma DP2
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #56 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #721 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sigma DP2 in all criteria except one: Portability. Sigma DP2 is significantly smaller than Sony A7R III. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Sigma DP2. Otherwise, Sony A7R III is the better camera overall.

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Sigma DP2
Sigma DP2
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Sigma DP2 vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Sigma DP2
Brand Sony Sigma
Announced 2017-10-25 2009-09-21
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 20.7 x 13.8 mm
Area 861.60mm2 285.66mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 5 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 2640 x 1760
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 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 425 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 3.00" 2.50"
Resolution 1,440k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 4.30 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 3.0 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 3840 x 2160 320 x 240
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 280g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 113 x 60 x 56mm
Battery Life 650 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 not tested
DxO Color Depth 26.0 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 not tested
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