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Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500

Portability
70
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74
Nikon D5600 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Nikon D5600
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 465g - 124 x 97 x 70mm
  • Introduced November 2016
  • Previous 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 D5600 vs Sony A500 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Nikon D5600 and Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by competitors Nikon and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the D5600 (24MP) and A500 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor size (APS-C).

Photography Glossary

The D5600 was launched 7 years later than the A500 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the D5600 scores against the A500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5600 over the Sony A500

 D5600 A500 
AnnouncedNovember 2016August 2009Fresher by 88 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Nikon D5600

 A500 D5600 

Common features in the Nikon D5600 and Sony A500

 D5600 A500 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Nikon D5600 features outer measurements of 124mm x 97mm x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 465 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Nikon D5600 and Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the D5600 and the A500.

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the D5600 and A500 is 70 and 63 respectively.

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing simply by viewing specifications. The graphic below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the D5600 and A500.

To sum up, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can anticipate the Nikon D5600 to result in more detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The fresher D5600 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5600 Portrait photography details
Sony A500 Portrait photography details
80
manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
63
focusing manually
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D5600
Street photography with Sony A500
74
screen articulates
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5600 Sports photography factors
Sony A500 Sports photography factors
69
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features tracking focus
great battery life (820 shots)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (5.0 fps)
no image stabilization
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low MP (12MP)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon D5600
Travel photography with Sony A500
81
great battery life (820 per charge)
connects via bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
43
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low battery pack (520 shots)
low MP (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D5600 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
78
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (820 per charge)
no image stabilization
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5600 Vlogging features
Sony A500 Vlogging features
74
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic port
no image stabilization
9
can't shoot video
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Nikon D5600 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5600 and Sony A500
 Nikon D5600Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D5600 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2016-11-10 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor 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 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 6000 x 4000 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 39 9
Cross focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 309 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3.2 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options 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
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/200s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 465 gr (1.03 lbs) 630 gr (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 97 x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 84 64
DXO Color Depth score 24.1 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 14.0 11.6
DXO Low light score 1306 772
Other
Battery life 820 shots 520 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL14 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail cost $597 $638