Nikon P500 vs Sony A57

Its time to take a deeper look at the Nikon P500 and Sony A57, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Nikon and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the P500 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the P500 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The P500 was released 19 months before the A57 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Nikon P500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the P500 grades vs the A57 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Nikon Coolpix P500 & Sony SLT-A57. The complete galleries are available at Nikon P500 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Nikon P500 has physical measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 103mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 4.1") and a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) and the Sony A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check out the Nikon P500 and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the P500 and the A57.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the P500 and A57 is 67 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by looking at technical specs. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the P500 and A57.

As you have seen, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The P500 because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A57 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older P500 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.