Sony A500 vs Sony a5100
63 Imaging
51 Features
52 Overall
51


89 Imaging
65 Features
74 Overall
68
Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Key Specs
(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
- Released August 2009
- Refreshed by Sony A560
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
- Introduced August 2014
- Previous Model is Sony a5000

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Overview
The following is a complete overview of the Sony A500 vs Sony a5100, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are sold by Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and a5100 (24MP) but they possess the exact same sensor size (APS-C).

The A500 was manufactured 6 years before the a5100 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the A500 grades against the a5100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and Sony Alpha a5100. The entire galleries are available at Sony A500 Gallery and Sony a5100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony a5100
A500 | a5100 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sony A500
a5100 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | August 2014 | ![]() | August 2009 | Newer by 60 months |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+692k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony a5100
A500 | a5100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen |
Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to travel with your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 provides outside measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony a5100 has dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).
Analyze the Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the A500 compared to the a5100.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and a5100 is 63 and 89 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is difficult to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The picture here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and a5100.
Plainly, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Sony a5100 to give you more detail due to its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged A500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Specifications
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | Sony Alpha a5100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Sony | Sony |
Model | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | Sony Alpha a5100 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2009-08-27 | 2014-08-17 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Bionz | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 366.6mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4272 x 2848 | 6000 x 4000 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 179 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | 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 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 922 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.53x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.0 frames per second | 6.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m | 4.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless | Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/160 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) |
Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 630 grams (1.39 lbs) | 283 grams (0.62 lbs) |
Dimensions | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") | 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 64 | 80 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.8 | 23.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.6 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light score | 772 | 1347 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 520 photographs | 400 photographs |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | NP-FM500H | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot)) |
Time lapse recording | With downloadable app | |
Storage type | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail price | $638 | $448 |