Sony RX1R has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony A700 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Sony RX1R's sensor provides 12MP more than Sony A700'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 RX1R'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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the RX1R and A700 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Sony RX1R has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony A700. 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 RX1R and Sony A700 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, RX1R has scored 91, 25 points higher than A700.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony RX1R |
91 |
25.0 bits |
13.6 Evs |
2537 ISO |
Sony A700 |
66 |
22.3 bits |
11.9 Evs |
581 ISO |