Panasonic S1R vs Sony A500

Following is a extensive comparison of the Panasonic S1R versus Sony A500, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the S1R (47MP) and A500 (12MP) and the S1R (Full frame) and A500 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The S1R was manufactured 9 years after the A500 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S1R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the S1R scores vs the A500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic S1R Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic S1R has outer measurements of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") with a weight of 1020 grams (2.25 lbs) while the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic S1R versus Sony A500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the S1R compared to the A500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S1R and A500 is 54 and 63 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes purely by viewing technical specs. The pic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S1R and A500.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The S1R due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic S1R will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 35MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher S1R should have an edge in sensor technology.