Canon 500D vs Sony A57
70 Imaging
53 Features
59 Overall
55


64 Imaging
57 Features
85 Overall
68
Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 15MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200 (Raise to 12800)
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Canon EF/EF-S Mount
- 520g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
- Introduced June 2009
- Additionally referred to as EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3
- Previous Model is Canon 450D
- New Model is Canon 550D
(Full Review)

Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Overview
Lets look more closely at the Canon 500D versus Sony A57, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the 500D (15MP) and the A57 (16MP) is relatively similar and both cameras boast the identical sensor sizes (APS-C).

The 500D was announced 4 years before the A57 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact SLR).
Before we go into a full comparison, here is a short introduction of how the 500D matches up vs the A57 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon EOS 500D & Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are provided at Canon 500D Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon 500D over the Sony A57
500D | A57 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Canon 500D
A57 | 500D | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | September 2012 | ![]() | June 2009 | More modern by 39 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 920k | Clearer screen (+1k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Canon 500D and Sony A57
500D | A57 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More exact focus | ||
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen dimensions |
Touch screen | ![]() | Neither features Touch screen |
Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Canon 500D enjoys outside measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") with a weight of 520 grams (1.15 lbs) while the Sony A57 has specifications of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).
Contrast the Canon 500D versus Sony A57 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the 500D versus the A57.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 500D and A57 is 70 and 64 respectively.

Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes only by reading specifications. The picture underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the 500D and A57.
To sum up, both of these cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Sony A57 to deliver extra detail with its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged 500D is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon 500D vs Sony A57 Specifications
Canon EOS 500D | Sony SLT-A57 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Canon | Sony |
Model | Canon EOS 500D | Sony SLT-A57 |
Otherwise known as | EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3 | - |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2009-06-08 | 2012-09-13 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Digic 4 | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 22.3 x 14.9mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 332.3mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 15 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4752 x 3168 | 4912 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 16000 |
Highest enhanced ISO | 12800 | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 15 |
Cross focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Canon EF/EF-S | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Total lenses | 326 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 1.6 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 920k dots | 921k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen technology | TFT color LCD | Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440k dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.55x | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0fps | 12.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 13.00 m | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/200 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (20 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 520 gr (1.15 lb) | 618 gr (1.36 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") | 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 63 | 75 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.7 | 23.4 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.5 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light score | 663 | 785 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 440 photos | 550 photos |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | LP-E5 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch cost | $650 | $1,000 |