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Sony A500 vs Sony HX300

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
51
Overall
46

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 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
  • Released August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Announced February 2013
  • Older Model is Sony HX200V
  • New Model is Sony HX400V
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Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Sony A500 and Sony HX300, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and HX300 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was released 4 years before the HX300 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the A500 scores vs the HX300 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony HX300

 A500 HX300 

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Sony A500

 HX300 A500 
AnnouncedFebruary 2013August 2009Fresher by 42 months
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony HX300

 A500 HX300 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sony A500 has got external dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony HX300 has measurements of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Sony A500 and Sony HX300 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the A500 vs the HX300.

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A500 and HX300 is 63 and 63 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing simply by going through specifications. The photograph below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and HX300.

Plainly, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A500 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony HX300 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography factors
Sony HX300 Portrait photography factors
63
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
42
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography details
Sony HX300 Street photography details
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
50
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
heavier than others (623g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony HX300
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (520 per charge)
55
long zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
features tracking focus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography details
Sony HX300 Travel photography details
43
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (520 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
54
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
very long reach (1200mm)
missing Time Lapse function
heavier than others (623g)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography information
Sony HX300 Landscape photography information
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (520 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
48
you can focus manually
really wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging factors
Sony HX300 Vlogging factors
9
lack of video recording
25
really wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic socket
heavier than others (623g)
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Sony A500 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony HX300
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2009-08-27 2013-02-20
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 4272 x 2848 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-6.3
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 630 gr (1.39 pounds) 623 gr (1.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 64 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 772 not tested
Other
Battery life 520 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) -
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo -
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $638 $339