Sony A99 II vs Sony A500

On this page, we will be contrasting the Sony A99 II and Sony A500, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are offered by Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the A99 II (42MP) and A500 (12MP) and the A99 II (Full frame) and A500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A99 II was released 7 years later than the A500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the A99 II scores against the A500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha A99 II & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are provided at Sony A99 II Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A99 II features exterior measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") with a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs) and the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A99 II and Sony A500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the A99 II compared to the A500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the A99 II and A500 is 57 and 63 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to see the difference between sensor measurements merely by checking specifications. The graphic underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A99 II and A500.

To sum up, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A99 II due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony A99 II will give extra detail as a result of its extra 30 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger A99 II will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.