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Sony A500 vs Sony A6400

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Alpha a6400 front
Portability
83
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 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
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
Sony A6400
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102400)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 403g - 120 x 67 x 50mm
  • Released January 2019
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Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Sony A500 vs Sony A6400, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both produced by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and A6400 (24MP) but both cameras have the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The A500 was introduced 10 years earlier than the A6400 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A6400 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the A500 matches up versus the A6400 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A6400

 A500 A6400 

Reasons to pick Sony A6400 over the Sony A500

 A6400 A500 
ReleasedJanuary 2019August 2009Fresher by 114 months
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony A6400

 A500 A6400 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 features exterior dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A6400 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") having a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the A500 compared to the A6400.

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A500 and A6400 is 63 and 83 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by viewing specifications. The visual below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the A500 and A6400.

To sum up, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Sony A6400 to provide you with more detail using its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography details
Sony A6400 Portrait photography details
63
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
81
manual focus
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony A6400 Street photography features
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
81
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
weather sealing
above average high ISO (32,000)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony A6400
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
terrible battery (520 shots)
76
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A6400 as a Travel photography camera
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
terrible battery (520 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
87
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
good MP (24MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography info
Sony A6400 Landscape photography info
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (520 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
80
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
above average high ISO (32,000)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6400 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
80
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
includes face detection focus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external microphone socket
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sony A500 vs Sony A6400 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony A6400
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Alpha a6400
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Alpha a6400
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-08-27 2019-01-15
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 surface area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4272 x 2848 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 32000
Max enhanced ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Amount of lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Off, auto, on, slow sync, rear sync, redeye reduction, wireless, hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264, 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630g (1.39 lb) 403g (0.89 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 64 83
DXO Color Depth rating 21.8 24.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 13.6
DXO Low light rating 772 1431
Other
Battery life 520 shots 410 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant)
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $638 $898