Sony A850 vs Canon SX40 HS

Sony A850 advantages over Canon SX40 HS

• Larger sensor
  35mm vs 1/2.3 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.94 vs 1.54 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• RAW file ability
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more flexibility to develop your photos later
• Fast startup
  ~0.50 vs 2.6 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  880 vs 380 shots
  Capture more photos
• Thinner
  81 mm vs 107 mm
  Thinner
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Less shutter lag
  0.18 vs 0.46 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  24.6 vs 12.1 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Longer exposure
  30 vs 15 sec
  Long exposures for night shots
• Bulb shutter
  Bulb vs No bulb
  Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  23 vs 8 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/3200 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  6400 vs 3200 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility