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Sony A7S vs Sony a3500

Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65
Sony Alpha A7S front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Announced April 2014
  • New Model is Sony A7S II
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Introduced March 2014
  • Previous Model is Sony A3000
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Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Sony A7S and Sony a3500, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both designed by Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the A7S (12MP) and a3500 (20MP) and the A7S (Full frame) and a3500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The A7S was announced within a month of the a3500 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the A7S matches up against the a3500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Sony a3500

 A7S a3500 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k230kCrisper screen (+1000k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Sony A7S

 a3500 A7S 

Common features in the Sony A7S and Sony a3500

 A7S a3500 
IntroducedApril 2014March 2014Similar age
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A7S comes with exterior dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Sony a3500 has sizing of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A7S and Sony a3500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the A7S compared to the a3500.

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the A7S and a3500 is 77 and 69 respectively.

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reading a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A7S and a3500.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A7S with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony a3500 will offer you extra detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs more aggressively.

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7S as a Portrait photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Portrait photography camera
68
you can focus manually
big sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
77
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A7S as a Street photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Street photography camera
76
tilting screen
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
lighter than others in class (489g)
above average high ISO (409,600)
lack of image stabilization
57
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7S as a Sports photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Sports photography camera
52
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
big sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (360 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
60
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
good battery (470 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7S Travel photography features
Sony a3500 Travel photography features
58
lighter than others in class (489 grams)
environment proof
not so great battery (360 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
60
good battery (470 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (411g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7S Landscape photography advice
Sony a3500 Landscape photography advice
66
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (409,600)
saves RAW files
environment proof
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (360 per charge)
70
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3")
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
good battery (470 per charge)
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S Vlogging highlights
Sony a3500 Vlogging highlights
34
includes face detection autofocus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic socket
lighter than others in class (489 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
26
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
lack of external mic socket
heavier than competition in class (411 grams)
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Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7S and Sony a3500
 Sony Alpha A7SSony Alpha a3500
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7S Sony Alpha a3500
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2014-04-06 2014-03-21
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.8 x 23.9mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 855.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4240 x 2832 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 409600 16000
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Number of lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.47x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash settings no built-in flash Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps) 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 489 grams (1.08 pounds) 411 grams (0.91 pounds)
Physical dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 87 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 3702 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 470 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo -
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $1,998 $398