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Sony A500 vs Sony a5100

Portability
63
Imaging
51
Features
52
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 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
  • Released August 2009
  • Refreshed by Sony A560
Sony a5100
(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
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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).

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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.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony a5100

 A500 a5100 

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sony A500

 a5100 A500 
IntroducedAugust 2014August 2009Newer by 60 months
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony a5100

 A500 a5100 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 size comparison

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

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony a5100
62
focusing manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography info
Sony a5100 Street photography info
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
82
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch to focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony a5100
50
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (520 shots)
68
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery life (400 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow fps (6.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography details
Sony a5100 Travel photography details
43
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low battery pack (520 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
80
better than average battery life (400 per charge)
comes with touch to focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
has built in flash
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography features
Sony a5100 Landscape photography features
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
low battery pack (520 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (400 per charge)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging factors
Sony a5100 Vlogging factors
9
no video shooting
34
touch screen
features face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
lack of external microphone socket
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Sony A500 vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony a5100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony 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