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Nikon D40 vs Sony A500

Portability
71
Imaging
45
Features
33
Overall
40
Nikon D40 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Nikon D40
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600 (Raise to 3200)
  • No Video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 522g - 124 x 94 x 64mm
  • Revealed December 2006
  • Replacement is Nikon D3000
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced August 2009
  • Replacement is Sony A560
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Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Overview

Here is a extended overview of the Nikon D40 versus Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by manufacturers Nikon and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the D40 (6MP) and A500 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor size (APS-C).

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The D40 was released 3 years earlier than the A500 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the D40 grades versus the A500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D40 over the Sony A500

 D40 A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Nikon D40

 A500 D40 
AnnouncedAugust 2009December 2006Fresher by 32 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Nikon D40 and Sony A500

 D40 A500 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Nikon D40 offers outside measurements of 124mm x 94mm x 64mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 522 grams (1.15 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 D40 versus Sony A500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the D40 and the A500.

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the D40 and A500 is 71 and 63 respectively.

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing merely by seeing technical specs. The visual here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the D40 and A500.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Sony A500 to provide more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older D40 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D40 Portrait photography information
Sony A500 Portrait photography information
53
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/500s)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
63
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D40
Street photography with Sony A500
58
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon D40
Sports photography with Sony A500
39
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6MP)
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
low battery (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D40 Travel photography factors
Sony A500 Travel photography factors
47
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
43
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
low battery (520 shots)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D40 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
47
focusing manually
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (6 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery (520 shots)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D40 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
9
can't record video
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Nikon D40 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D40 and Sony A500
 Nikon D40Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Manufacturer Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D40 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2006-12-21 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.7 x 15.5mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 367.4mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 6 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3008 x 2000 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 3200 -
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 309 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 17.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/500 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Maximum video resolution None None
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 522 grams (1.15 pounds) 630 grams (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 94 x 64mm (4.9" x 3.7" x 2.5") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 64
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.0 11.6
DXO Low light score 561 772
Other
Battery life - 520 images
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL9 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 to 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $500 $638