Nikon D5000 vs Sony A500

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).

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The 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.

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.

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.

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.