Another difference; the sudo command uses YOUR password and you have to be authorized in the /etc/sudoers file. The sudoers file defines what commands you are allowed to execute using sudo. The su command uses the ROOT password. which must be known.
Depending on options you can pick up roots environment or carry yours forward.
I use "sudo bash" to get a root shell. That is almost identical (maybe is, I am not sure) to "sudo -i". The environment is controlled like this "sudo su - other_user" gets the environment for other_user. But "sudo su other_user" carries your environment forward under the UID of other_user. That means your aliases and such will be available.
Also, auditing results are different in the audit logs when using su versus sudo. More tracability with sudo. Lastly, for su you give the root password around and have a maintenance pain. If you authorize people with sudo, you just update the sudoers file to add or remove people and they only have to remember their own password. Sudoers also allows you to decide what others can do.
sudo su root
-- the best of both worlds!