Nikon D5000 vs Sony A500
65 Imaging
51 Features
50 Overall
50
63 Imaging
51 Features
52 Overall
51
Nikon D5000 vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
- 1280 x 720 video
- Nikon F Mount
- 590g - 127 x 104 x 80mm
- Announced June 2009
- Replaced the Nikon D60
- Replacement is Nikon D5100
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Introduced August 2009
- Refreshed by Sony A560
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Lets look a little more in depth at the Nikon D5000 and Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by rivals Nikon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the D5000 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is fairly comparable and they use the same exact sensor measurements (APS-C).
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe D5000 was launched 2 months earlier than the A500 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).
Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a concise summary of how the D5000 matches up against the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Nikon D5000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are available at Nikon D5000 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon D5000 over the Sony A500
| D5000 | A500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display type | Fully Articulated |  | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
| Selfie screen |  | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Nikon D5000
| A500 | D5000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display sizing | 3" |  | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Common features in the Nikon D5000 and Sony A500
| D5000 | A500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | June 2009 |  | August 2009 | Same generation |
| Manually focus |  | Dial accurate focusing | ||
| Display resolution | 230k |  | 230k | Exact same display resolution |
| Touch friendly display |  | Neither comes with Touch friendly display |
Nikon D5000 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and size. The Nikon D5000 comes with exterior dimensions of 127mm x 104mm x 80mm (5.0" x 4.1" x 3.1") with a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs) and the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
Take a look at the Nikon D5000 and Sony A500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the D5000 compared to the A500.
Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the D5000 and A500 is 65 and 63 respectively.
Nikon D5000 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the D5000 and A500.
As you can plainly see, both cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing and the exact same resolution so you should expect comparable quality of files though you should consider the production date of the cameras into account.
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Nikon D5000 vs Sony A500 Specifications
| Nikon D5000 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Nikon | Sony |
| Model type | Nikon D5000 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
| Class | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Announced | 2009-06-12 | 2009-08-27 |
| Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Expeed | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 23.6 x 15.8mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 372.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 4288 x 2848 | 4272 x 2848 |
| Highest native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
| Highest boosted ISO | 6400 | - |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 200 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 11 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Nikon F | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Number of lenses | 309 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
| Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.52x | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting rate | 4.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 17.00 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash synchronize | 1/200 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps), 320 x 216 (24 fps) | - |
| Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
| Video data format | Motion JPEG | - |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | Optional | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 590 grams (1.30 pounds) | 630 grams (1.39 pounds) |
| Dimensions | 127 x 104 x 80mm (5.0" x 4.1" x 3.1") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 72 | 64 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 22.7 | 21.8 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.5 | 11.6 |
| DXO Low light rating | 868 | 772 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 510 pictures | 520 pictures |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | EN-EL9a | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC card | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Retail cost | $630 | $638 |