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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500

Portability
68
Imaging
65
Features
81
Overall
71
Nikon D5300 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Nikon D5300
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 480g - 125 x 98 x 76mm
  • Launched February 2014
  • Succeeded the Nikon D5200
  • Newer Model is Nikon D5500
Sony A500
(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
  • Announced August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Nikon D5300 versus Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by brands Nikon and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the D5300 (24MP) and A500 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The D5300 was released 4 years later than the A500 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the D5300 grades versus the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5300 over the Sony A500

 D5300 A500 
AnnouncedFebruary 2014August 2009More recent by 55 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Nikon D5300

 A500 D5300 

Common features in the Nikon D5300 and Sony A500

 D5300 A500 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Nikon D5300 provides outer measurements of 125mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 480 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Nikon D5300 versus Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the D5300 and the A500.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the D5300 and A500 is 68 and 63 respectively.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The visual below will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the D5300 and A500.

All in all, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can anticipate the Nikon D5300 to offer greater detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The fresher D5300 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon D5300
Portrait photography with Sony A500
79
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
63
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5300 Street photography highlights
Sony A500 Street photography highlights
69
screen can move to multiple angles
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no image stabilization
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5300 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
65
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
comes with phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery power (520 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D5300 Travel photography advice
Sony A500 Travel photography advice
80
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
43
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery power (520 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D5300 Landscape photography advice
Sony A500 Landscape photography advice
76
has manual focus
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
supports RAW formats
no image stabilization
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (520 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon D5300
Vlogging with Sony A500
72
selfie friendly display
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic socket
no image stabilization
9
no video shooting
Photography Glossary

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5300 and Sony A500
 Nikon D5300Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D5300 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2014-02-12 2009-08-27
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Expeed 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 39 9
Cross focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 309 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display size 3.2" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes 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
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/200s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 480 gr (1.06 lbs) 630 gr (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 98 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 83 64
DXO Color Depth score 24.0 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 13.9 11.6
DXO Low light score 1338 772
Other
Battery life 600 pictures 520 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL14,EN-EL14a NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $429 $638