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Sony A500 vs Sony A6500

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Launched October 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A6300
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Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Here is a in depth assessment of the Sony A500 and Sony A6500, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and they are both offered by Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A500 was launched 8 years before the A6500 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the A500 grades versus the A6500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A6500

 A500 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Sony A500

 A6500 A500 
LaunchedOctober 2016August 2009Fresher by 86 months
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony A6500

 A500 A6500 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Sony A500 comes with external measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

See the Sony A500 and Sony A6500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the A500 versus the A6500.

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and A6500 is 63 and 81 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and A6500.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You should anticipate the Sony A6500 to provide more detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Portrait photography camera
63
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
80
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony A6500 Street photography features
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
weather proof
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography features
Sony A6500 Sports photography features
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery power (520 shots)
77
silent mode (1/32,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery power (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Travel photography camera
43
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (520 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
74
weather proof
has bluetooth
boasts touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
terrible battery power (350 CIPA)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography information
Sony A6500 Landscape photography information
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (520 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
terrible battery power (350 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging details
Sony A6500 Vlogging details
9
lack of video recording
39
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone support
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Sony A500 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony A6500
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-08-27 2016-10-06
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 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4272 x 2848 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
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
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 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
Maximum video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 lbs) 453g (1.00 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 64 85
DXO Color Depth rating 21.8 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 13.7
DXO Low light rating 772 1405
Other
Battery life 520 photos 350 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $638 $1,298