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Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500

Portability
99
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34
Samsung ST6500 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
51
Features
52
Overall
51

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Samsung ST6500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F) lens
  • n/ag - 102 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2011
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
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Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Samsung and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the ST6500 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the ST6500 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ST6500 was manufactured 17 months after the A500 which makes them a generation away from each other. The two cameras feature different body design with the Samsung ST6500 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the ST6500 matches up versus the A500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Samsung ST6500 over the Sony A500

 ST6500 A500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011August 2009More modern by 17 months
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Samsung ST6500

 A500 ST6500 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Samsung ST6500 and Sony A500

 ST6500 A500 
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Samsung ST6500 provides outer measurements of 102mm x 57mm x 19mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of n/a grams (0.00 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the ST6500 compared to the A500.

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the ST6500 and A500 is 99 and 63 respectively.

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes simply by viewing technical specs. The pic underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ST6500 and A500.

As you have seen, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ST6500 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh trickier and the Samsung ST6500 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The fresher ST6500 should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung ST6500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
29
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
62
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Samsung ST6500
Street photography with Sony A500
50
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Samsung ST6500
Sports photography with Sony A500
29
decent megapixels (16MP)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
50
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
slow fps (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
not so great battery pack (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Samsung ST6500 Travel photography details
Sony A500 Travel photography details
73
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (26mm)
great max aperture (f)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
43
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery pack (520 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Samsung ST6500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
43
rather wide (26mm)
great max aperture (f)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
decent megapixels (16MP)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
no manual exposure
no image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (520 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Samsung ST6500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
32
rather wide (26mm)
great max aperture (f)
touch screen
does not have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic support
9
can't shoot video
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Samsung ST6500 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung ST6500 and Sony A500
 Samsung ST6500Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Samsung Sony
Model type Samsung ST6500 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Category Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2011-01-19 2009-08-27
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB none USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight - 630 grams (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 102 x 57 x 19mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.7") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life - 520 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer - Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type - SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch pricing - $638