Canon 1D Mark III vs Sony A850

Sony A850 advantages over Canon 1D Mark III

• Less expensive
  $2000 vs $4500 (MSRP)
  Save money for lenses or accessories
• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-H
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• In-Camera Image Stabilization
  Yes vs No
  Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  A850 test data on DxO Mark 1D Mark III test data on DxO Mark
  1,415 vs 1,078 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• Pentaprism viewfinder
  Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
  Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• Lighter weight
  850g vs 1155g
  Lighter weight
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.74x vs 0.58x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  24.6 vs 10.1 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  23 vs 12 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)