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Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5T front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
79
Overall
66

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T Key Specs

Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced August 2009
  • Refreshed by Sony A560
Sony NEX-5T
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Released August 2013
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-5R
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Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview

Following is a detailed assessment of the Sony A500 and Sony NEX-5T, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both designed by Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A500 was revealed 5 years before the NEX-5T which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the A500 matches up versus the NEX-5T for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony NEX-5T

 A500 NEX-5T 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Sony A500

 NEX-5T A500 
ReleasedAugust 2013August 2009More modern by 48 months
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony NEX-5T

 A500 NEX-5T 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A500 has got external 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) and the Sony NEX-5T has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Check out the Sony A500 and Sony NEX-5T in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the A500 and the NEX-5T.

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and NEX-5T is 63 and 89 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading through technical specs. The image below should give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and NEX-5T.

As you can tell, each of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can count on the Sony NEX-5T to resolve extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5T
63
focusing manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
74
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A500
Street photography with Sony NEX-5T
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
80
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
offers focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-5T Sports photography highlights
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery pack (520 shots)
69
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Travel photography camera
43
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (520 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
77
offers focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly display
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography advice
Sony NEX-5T Landscape photography advice
60
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery pack (520 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
70
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-5T Vlogging features
9
can't shoot video
73
selfie friendly display
touch screen
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have image stabilization
does not have external mic socket
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Sony A500 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony NEX-5T
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Alpha NEX-5T
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Alpha NEX-5T
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2009-08-27 2013-08-27
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 area 366.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4272 x 2848 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 99
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Amount of lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 7.00 m (ISO100)
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
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630g (1.39 pounds) 276g (0.61 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 64 78
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 13.0
DXO Low light score 772 1015
Other
Battery life 520 pictures 330 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures))
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 Single Single
Launch price $638 $400