Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-3N

Here, we are comparing the Sony A500 and Sony NEX-3N, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Sony. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor size (APS-C).

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The A500 was released 4 years prior to the NEX-3N and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summation of how the A500 grades vs the NEX-3N in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 & Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The complete galleries are provided at Sony A500 Gallery & Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 has got external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3N has dimensions of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Sony A500 and Sony NEX-3N in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the A500 against the NEX-3N.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and NEX-3N is 63 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing specifications. The visual here will provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and NEX-3N.

To sum up, both of the cameras come with the identical sensor size but different resolution. You can anticipate the Sony NEX-3N to provide you with extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.