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Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V 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
  • Launched August 2009
  • Successor is Sony A560
Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Introduced July 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony HX10V
  • Newer Model is Sony HX30V
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Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V Overview

Lets look more closely at the Sony A500 and Sony HX20V, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and HX20V (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The A500 was brought out 3 years earlier than the HX20V and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the A500 matches up against the HX20V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony HX20V

 A500 HX20V 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Sony A500

 HX20V A500 
IntroducedJuly 2012August 2009More recent by 35 months
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony HX20V

 A500 HX20V 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 comes with external measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony HX20V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

See the Sony A500 and Sony HX20V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the A500 against the HX20V.

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and HX20V is 63 and 90 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by checking technical specs. The graphic here might give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and HX20V.

As you can tell, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A500 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX20V will give extra detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony HX20V as a Portrait photography camera
63
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
45
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (18MP)
includes face detect autofocus
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography details
Sony HX20V Street photography details
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (254 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX20V as a Sports photography camera
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (18MP)
includes tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography information
Sony HX20V Travel photography information
43
flash built-in
no Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (520 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than competition (254 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
missing Timelapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography information
Sony HX20V Landscape photography information
60
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
no Time Lapse mode
50
you can focus manually
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (18 megapixels)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging info
Sony HX20V Vlogging info
9
lack of video recording
34
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (254g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
missing microphone support
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Sony A500 vs Sony HX20V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony HX20V
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2009-08-27 2012-07-20
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4272 x 2848 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 7.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630g (1.39 lbs) 254g (0.56 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 64 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 772 not tested
Other
Battery life 520 pictures 320 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $638 $397