Nikon S9700 vs Sony A500

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Nikon S9700 versus Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Nikon and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the S9700 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the S9700 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The S9700 was unveiled 4 years later than the A500 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Nikon S9700 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the S9700 scores vs the A500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Nikon Coolpix S9700 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are available at Nikon S9700 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Nikon S9700 features physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 232 grams (0.51 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Nikon S9700 versus Sony A500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the S9700 vs the A500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the S9700 and A500 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by going through technical specs. The photograph underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the S9700 and A500.

As you can tell, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S9700 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh trickier and the Nikon S9700 will provide extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern S9700 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.