Panasonic LX10 vs Sony A500

Here is a in-depth comparison of the Panasonic LX10 versus Sony A500, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the LX10 (20MP) and A500 (12MP) and the LX10 (1") and A500 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The LX10 was announced 7 years later than the A500 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic LX10 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a quick summary of how the LX10 grades vs the A500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic LX10 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic LX10 comes with physical measurements of 106mm x 60mm x 42mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.7") and a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs) while the Sony A500 has measurements 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 LX10 versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the LX10 against the A500.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the LX10 and A500 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to envision the gap between sensor sizing only by going over specifications. The visual underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the LX10 and A500.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The LX10 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic LX10 will deliver more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more recent LX10 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.