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Sony A500 vs Sony QX10

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10 front
Portability
96
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 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
  • Launched August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
Sony QX10
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • " Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1440 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 105g - 62 x 62 x 33mm
  • Introduced September 2013
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Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Sony A500 vs Sony QX10, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Lens-style and both are produced by Sony. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and QX10 (18MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and QX10 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The A500 was unveiled 5 years prior to the QX10 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony QX10 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise overview of how the A500 scores vs the QX10 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony QX10

 A500 QX10 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3""Bigger screen (+3")
Screen resolution230k0kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony QX10 over the Sony A500

 QX10 A500 
IntroducedSeptember 2013August 2009Fresher by 48 months
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony QX10

 A500 QX10 
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 provides exterior 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) and the Sony QX10 has dimensions of 62mm x 62mm x 33mm (2.4" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 105 grams (0.23 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 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 vary based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the A500 against the QX10.

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and QX10 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by going over a spec sheet. The graphic below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and QX10.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A500 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony QX10 will deliver more detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography highlights
Sony QX10 Portrait photography highlights
63
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
36
good MP (18MP)
supports face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 as a Street photography camera
Sony QX10 as a Street photography camera
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
68
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus by touch
lighter than competitors (105 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography factors
Sony QX10 Sports photography factors
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12MP)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
37
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (220 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony QX10 as a Travel photography camera
43
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (520 per charge)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
69
lighter than competitors (105g)
provides focus by touch
good MP (18 megapixels)
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
missing Timelapse function
bad battery power (220 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony QX10
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
38
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (")
manual exposure not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
bad battery power (220 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging factors
Sony QX10 Vlogging factors
9
can't shoot video
34
quite wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
lighter than competitors (105g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1440 x 1080 resolution)
missing external microphone support
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Sony A500 vs Sony QX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony QX10
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10
Type Entry-Level DSLR Lens-style
Launched 2009-08-27 2013-09-04
Physical type Compact SLR Lens-style
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4272 x 2848 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch -
Display resolution 230k dots 0k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - Depends on connected smartphone
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless None
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1440 x 1080 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1440x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630g (1.39 lbs) 105g (0.23 lbs)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 62 x 62 x 33mm (2.4" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photographs 220 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN,
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $638 $250