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Canon M50 vs Sony a3500

Portability
79
Imaging
68
Features
88
Overall
76
Canon EOS M50 front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Canon M50
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Canon EF-M Mount
  • 390g - 116 x 88 x 59mm
  • Announced February 2018
  • Replacement is Canon M50 II
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Launched March 2014
  • Older Model is Sony A3000
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Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Canon M50 and Sony a3500, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Canon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the M50 (24MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is relatively similar and both cameras offer the same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The M50 was revealed 3 years later than the a3500 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple overview of how the M50 scores versus the a3500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon M50 over the Sony a3500

 M50 a3500 
LaunchedFebruary 2018March 2014Fresher by 48 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Canon M50

 a3500 M50 

Common features in the Canon M50 and Sony a3500

 M50 a3500 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon M50 has external dimensions of 116mm x 88mm x 59mm (4.6" x 3.5" x 2.3") with a weight of 390 grams (0.86 lbs) whilst the Sony a3500 has dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Canon M50 and Sony a3500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the M50 compared to the a3500.

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the M50 and a3500 is 79 and 69 respectively.

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to see the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the M50 and a3500.

As you can see, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Canon M50 to deliver greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger M50 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon M50 Portrait photography details
Sony a3500 Portrait photography details
80
focusing manually
good megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
77
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon M50 Street photography advice
Sony a3500 Street photography advice
84
screen articulates
built in image stabilization
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
boasts touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
57
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (411g)
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Sports Comparison

Canon M50 Sports photography highlights
Sony a3500 Sports photography highlights
75
built in image stabilization
good megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery life (235 per charge)
60
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
good battery life (470 shots)
low fps (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon M50 Travel photography factors
Sony a3500 Travel photography factors
78
has bluetooth
boasts touch focus
good megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
not so great battery life (235 CIPA)
60
good battery life (470 CIPA)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
more heavy than competition (411g)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon M50
Landscape photography with Sony a3500
79
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF-M mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
not so great battery life (235 CIPA)
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (470 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon M50 as a Vlogging camera
Sony a3500 as a Vlogging camera
85
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization
has face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes external mic port
26
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone socket
more heavy than competition (411 grams)
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Canon M50 vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon M50 and Sony a3500
 Canon EOS M50Sony Alpha a3500
General Information
Brand Canon Sony
Model type Canon EOS M50 Sony Alpha a3500
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2018-02-26 2014-03-21
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 8 BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 332.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 6000 x 4000 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 25600 16000
Maximum enhanced ISO 51200 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 143 25
Lens
Lens support Canon EF-M Sony E
Amount of lenses 23 121
Crop factor 1.6 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash modes - Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 120 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB No USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 390g (0.86 lbs) 411g (0.91 lbs)
Physical dimensions 116 x 88 x 59mm (4.6" x 3.5" x 2.3") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 235 pictures 470 pictures
Style of battery Built-in Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC slot (UHS-I compatible) -
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $779 $398