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Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched August 2009
  • Replacement is Sony A560
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • New Model is Sony NEX-5N
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Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Here is a thorough overview of the Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both offered by Sony. The resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty close and they feature the same exact sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The A500 was brought out 9 months prior to the NEX-5 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a brief summary of how the A500 matches up against the NEX-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony NEX-5

 A500 NEX-5 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Sony A500

 NEX-5 A500 
IntroducedJune 2010August 2009Fresher by 9 months
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony NEX-5

 A500 NEX-5 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A500 has physical measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the A500 vs the NEX-5.

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and NEX-5 is 63 and 89 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing specs. The photograph here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and NEX-5.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Sony NEX-5 to provide you with greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Portrait photography camera
63
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography factors
Sony NEX-5 Street photography factors
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
76
screen tilts
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony NEX-5
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (5.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (520 per charge)
52
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography information
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography information
43
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (520 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
59
megapixel count good (14MP)
no Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Landscape photography camera
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery life (520 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
68
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging highlights
9
no video shooting
28
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
no external mic support
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Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony NEX-5
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2009-08-27 2010-06-07
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Amount of lenses 143 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 gr (1.39 lb) 287 gr (0.63 lb)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 69
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.2
DXO Low light score 772 796
Other
Battery life 520 shots 330 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $638 $599