Sigma DP2 Merrill vs Sony A500

Let's look more closely at the Sigma DP2 Merrill and Sony A500, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Sigma and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the DP2 Merrill (15MP) and A500 (12MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (APS-C).

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The DP2 Merrill was unveiled 2 years later than the A500 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sigma DP2 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the DP2 Merrill matches up against the A500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sigma DP2 Merrill and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are available at Sigma DP2 Merrill Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sigma DP2 Merrill has outside dimensions of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs) while the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Sigma DP2 Merrill and Sony A500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the DP2 Merrill compared to the A500.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the DP2 Merrill and A500 is 83 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements just by reading specs. The graphic here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the DP2 Merrill and A500.

All in all, both cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Sigma DP2 Merrill to offer greater detail having an extra 3MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent DP2 Merrill will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.