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Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500

Portability
83
Imaging
56
Features
33
Overall
46
Sigma DP3 Merrill front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Sigma DP3 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 75mm (F2.8) lens
  • 330g - 122 x 67 x 59mm
  • Announced January 2013
  • Older Model is Sigma DP2 Merrill
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Launched October 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A6300
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Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Sigma and Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the DP3 Merrill (15MP) and A6500 (24MP) but they use the same exact sensor size (APS-C).

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The DP3 Merrill was unveiled 4 years prior to the A6500 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Sigma DP3 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the DP3 Merrill matches up versus the A6500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sigma DP3 Merrill over the Sony A6500

 DP3 Merrill A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Sigma DP3 Merrill

 A6500 DP3 Merrill 
LaunchedOctober 2016January 2013More recent by 45 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k920kClearer screen (+2k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sigma DP3 Merrill and Sony A6500

 DP3 Merrill A6500 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sigma DP3 Merrill enjoys exterior dimensions of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Take a look at the Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the DP3 Merrill compared to the A6500.

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the DP3 Merrill and A6500 is 83 and 81 respectively.

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the DP3 Merrill and A6500.

Clearly, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Sony A6500 to deliver more detail having an extra 9MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older DP3 Merrill is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill Portrait photography info
Sony A6500 Portrait photography info
73
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
80
focusing manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill Street photography information
Sony A6500 Street photography information
65
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
85
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
environment proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill Sports photography features
Sony A6500 Sports photography features
44
decent sensor resolution (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
fixed focal length (75mm)
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
77
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
bad battery power (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill Travel photography features
Sony A6500 Travel photography features
54
decent sensor resolution (15MP)
does not have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
74
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
decent megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
bad battery power (350 per charge)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill Landscape photography highlights
Sony A6500 Landscape photography highlights
55
you can focus manually
screen size is good (3")
decent sensor resolution (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (75mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not have image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse recording
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
bad battery power (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sigma DP3 Merrill Vlogging information
Sony A6500 Vlogging information
22
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have external mic jack
39
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have external microphone jack
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Sigma DP3 Merrill vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sigma DP3 Merrill and Sony A6500
 Sigma DP3 MerrillSony Alpha a6500
General Information
Make Sigma Sony
Model type Sigma DP3 Merrill Sony Alpha a6500
Category Large Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2013-01-08 2016-10-06
Body design Large Sensor Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Dual TRUE II engine Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS (Foveon X3) CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 24 x 16mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 384.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 15MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4704 x 3136 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 425
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 75mm (1x) -
Max aperture f/2.8 -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed - 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed - 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options no built-in flash Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 330 gr (0.73 lbs) 453 gr (1.00 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 67 x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1405
Other
Battery life - 350 pictures
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer - Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media - SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $1,353 $1,298