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Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500

Portability
61
Imaging
65
Features
92
Overall
75
Sony Alpha A7S III front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Sony A7S III
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 102400 (Boost 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
  • Older Model is Sony A7S II
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Introduced October 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A6300
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Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Overview

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Sony A7S III versus Sony A6500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both designed by Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the A7S III (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the A7S III (Full frame) and A6500 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The A7S III was revealed 3 years later than the A6500 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7S III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the A7S III matches up versus the A6500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7S III over the Sony A6500

 A7S III A6500 
IntroducedJuly 2020October 2016Fresher by 47 months
Display typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1440k922kCrisper display (+518k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Sony A7S III

 A6500 A7S III 

Common features in the Sony A7S III and Sony A6500

 A7S III A6500 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A7S III offers outer measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A7S III versus Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the A7S III vs the A6500.

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A7S III and A6500 is 61 and 81 respectively.

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A7S III and A6500.

Clearly, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A7S III with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony A6500 will result in greater detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The fresher A7S III provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7S III Portrait photography features
Sony A6500 Portrait photography features
71
focusing manually
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
80
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A7S III
Street photography with Sony A6500
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
supports touch focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (102,400)
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
has focus via touch
environment sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A7S III
Sports photography with Sony A6500
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
environment proofing
better than average battery pack (600 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
77
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
has phase detect AF
low battery life (350 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7S III Travel photography details
Sony A6500 Travel photography details
70
better than average battery pack (600 CIPA)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
supports touch focus
selfie friendly display
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
74
environment sealing
has bluetooth
has focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
low battery life (350 CIPA)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A7S III
Landscape photography with Sony A6500
77
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (102,400)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
better than average battery pack (600 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
megapixel count low (12MP)
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
low battery life (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S III as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6500 as a Vlogging camera
77
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with mic jack
39
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external microphone socket
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Sony A7S III vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7S III and Sony A6500
 Sony Alpha A7S IIISony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7S III Sony Alpha a6500
Type Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2020-07-21 2016-10-06
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz XR Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4240 x 2832 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 102400 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 409600 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 759 425
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Amount of lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fully articulated Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,440k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 9,440k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.91x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 699 gr (1.54 lb) 453 gr (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 85 85
DXO Color Depth rating 23.6 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 13.7
DXO Low light rating 2993 1405
Other
Battery life 600 pictures 350 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app With downloadable app
Type of storage Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots 2 1
Launch price $3,499 $1,298