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Sony A7R III vs Sony A500

Portability
63
Imaging
78
Features
93
Overall
84
Sony Alpha A7R III front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Sony A7R III
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Push to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Introduced October 2017
  • Replaced the Sony A7R II
  • New Model is Sony A7R IV
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
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
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Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Sony A7R III and Sony A500, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are designed by Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the A7R III (42MP) and A500 (12MP) and the A7R III (Full frame) and A500 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The A7R III was revealed 8 years later than the A500 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the A7R III matches up versus the A500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Sony A500

 A7R III A500 
RevealedOctober 2017August 2009More recent by 100 months
Screen resolution1440k230kCrisper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A7R III

 A500 A7R III 

Common features in the Sony A7R III and Sony A500

 A7R III A500 
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A7R III features physical measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A7R III and Sony A500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the A7R III and the A500.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A7R III and A500 is 63 and 63 respectively.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements just by checking specs. The photograph below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the A7R III and A500.

All in all, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A7R III having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony A7R III will give you more detail because of its extra 30MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The fresher A7R III provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R III Portrait photography information
Sony A500 Portrait photography information
86
you can focus manually
amazing megapixels (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A7R III
Street photography with Sony A500
79
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
offers focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7R III Sports photography features
Sony A500 Sports photography features
89
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing megapixels (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery (650 shots)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery (520 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7R III Travel photography advice
Sony A500 Travel photography advice
74
good battery (650 per charge)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
offers focus by touch
amazing megapixels (42 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
43
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (520 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R III Landscape photography details
Sony A500 Landscape photography details
87
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing megapixels (42 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
good battery (650 CIPA)
2 card slots
60
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (520 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7R III Vlogging info
Sony A500 Vlogging info
37
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
9
no video
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Sony A7R III vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R III and Sony A500
 Sony Alpha A7R IIISony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7R III Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2017-10-25 2009-08-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 42 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 7952 x 5304 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 32000 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 102400 -
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 425 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 121 143
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,440k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 3,686k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) -
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 657 gr (1.45 pounds) 630 gr (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 100 64
DXO Color Depth score 26.0 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 14.7 11.6
DXO Low light score 3523 772
Other
Battery life 650 pictures 520 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one) SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two One
Cost at launch $2,800 $638