Clicky

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500

Portability
95
Imaging
32
Features
14
Overall
24
Samsung CL5 front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Samsung CL5
(Full Review)
  • 9MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-4.5) lens
  • 141g - 93 x 60 x 19mm
  • Released February 2009
  • Other Name is PL10
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Superseded the Sony A3000
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Overview

Below is a complete comparison of the Samsung CL5 and Sony a3500, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Samsung and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the CL5 (9MP) and a3500 (20MP) and the CL5 (1/2.5") and a3500 (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The CL5 was revealed 6 years prior to the a3500 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Samsung CL5 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the CL5 scores versus the a3500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Samsung CL5 over the Sony a3500

 CL5 a3500 

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Samsung CL5

 a3500 CL5 
RevealedMarch 2014February 2009More recent by 61 months
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Samsung CL5 and Sony a3500

 CL5 a3500 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Samsung CL5 provides exterior dimensions of 93mm x 60mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.7") and a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony a3500 has measurements of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Check the Samsung CL5 and Sony a3500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the CL5 and the a3500.

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the CL5 and a3500 is 95 and 69 respectively.

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to picture the contrast between sensor measurements just by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the CL5 and a3500.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The CL5 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sony a3500 will give you greater detail because of its extra 11MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older CL5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Samsung CL5
Portrait photography with Sony a3500
24
features face detect focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (9MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Samsung CL5 Street photography advice
Sony a3500 Street photography advice
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
57
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors in class (411 grams)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Samsung CL5 Sports photography info
Sony a3500 Sports photography info
16
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (9MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
does not have phase detect AF
60
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features tracking focus
great battery (470 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Samsung CL5 Travel photography features
Sony a3500 Travel photography features
51
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
sensor resolution not great (9 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
60
great battery (470 shots)
resolution is good (20MP)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors in class (411g)
display isn't selfie friendly
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Samsung CL5
Landscape photography with Sony a3500
22
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7")
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (9 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
great battery (470 shots)
no image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Samsung CL5 Vlogging features
Sony a3500 Vlogging features
25
features face detect focusing
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
missing microphone support
26
features face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
doesn't have mic support
heavier than competitors in class (411g)
Photography Glossary

Samsung CL5 vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung CL5 and Sony a3500
 Samsung CL5Sony Alpha a3500
General Information
Company Samsung Sony
Model Samsung CL5 Sony Alpha a3500
Alternative name PL10 -
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2009-02-23 2014-03-21
Physical type Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ image
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 5.744 x 4.308mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 24.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 9MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3456 x 2592 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 3200 16000
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 38-114mm (3.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-4.5 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 6.3 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 16 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate - 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB none USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 141 gr (0.31 lb) 411 gr (0.91 lb)
Dimensions 93 x 60 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.7") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 470 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (10 sec, 2 sec, Double, Motion Timer) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, internal -
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $391 $398