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Sony A7S III vs Sony A500

Portability
61
Imaging
65
Features
92
Overall
75
Sony Alpha A7S III front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Sony A7S III
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 102400 (Expand to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 699g - 129 x 97 x 81mm
  • Released July 2020
  • Succeeded the Sony A7S II
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
  • Launched August 2009
  • Later Model is Sony A560
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Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Sony A7S III and Sony A500, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both sold by Sony. The resolution of the A7S III (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the A7S III (Full frame) and A500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A7S III was launched 11 years after the A500 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7S III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick overview of how the A7S III matches up against the A500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7S III over the Sony A500

 A7S III A500 
LaunchedJuly 2020August 2009More modern by 133 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1440k230kSharper screen (+1210k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A7S III

 A500 A7S III 

Common features in the Sony A7S III and Sony A500

 A7S III A500 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A7S III has external measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") and a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs) and the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Sony A7S III and Sony A500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the A7S III and the A500.

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A7S III and A500 is 61 and 63 respectively.

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The image here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A7S III and A500.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got the exact same resolution albeit not the same sensor sizes. The A7S III includes the bigger sensor which is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier. The more recent A7S III will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A7S III
Portrait photography with Sony A500
71
you can focus manually
large sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
63
focusing manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Sony A7S III Street photography highlights
Sony A500 Street photography highlights
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment proofing
very good ISO range (102,400)
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7S III Sports photography info
Sony A500 Sports photography info
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery pack (600 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7S III Travel photography info
Sony A500 Travel photography info
70
better than average battery pack (600 CIPA)
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
selfie friendly screen
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (520 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7S III as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
77
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
very good ISO range (102,400)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
better than average battery pack (600 shots)
has double storage slots
megapixel count low (12MP)
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (520 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S III Vlogging advice
Sony A500 Vlogging advice
77
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic port
9
no video
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Sony A7S III vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7S III and Sony A500
 Sony Alpha A7S IIISony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7S III Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2020-07-21 2009-08-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz XR Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4240 x 2832 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 102400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 409600 -
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 759 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 121 143
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,440 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 9,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.91x 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 120p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 100p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM -
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video file format MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264, H.265 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 699g (1.54 lbs) 630g (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 85 64
DXO Color Depth rating 23.6 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 11.6
DXO Low light rating 2993 772
Other
Battery life 600 shots 520 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 One
Price at release $3,499 $638