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Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II front
Portability
58
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II 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
  • Later Model is Sony A560
Sony RX10 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed June 2015
  • Earlier Model is Sony RX10
  • Updated by Sony RX10 III
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II Overview

Below is a detailed comparison of the Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are created by Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX10 II (1") feature different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was revealed 6 years earlier than the RX10 II and that is quite a sizable 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 RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the A500 matches up versus the RX10 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony RX10 II

 A500 RX10 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 II over the Sony A500

 RX10 II A500 
RevealedJune 2015August 2009More recent by 70 months
Screen resolution1229k230kCrisper screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony RX10 II

 A500 RX10 II 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Sony A500 has 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 RX10 II has specifications of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the A500 versus the RX10 II.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and RX10 II is 63 and 58 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements just by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and RX10 II.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A500 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX10 II will resolve extra detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography features
Sony RX10 II Portrait photography features
63
focusing manually
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography details
Sony RX10 II Street photography details
74
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
72
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography advice
Sony RX10 II Sports photography advice
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
low frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (520 per charge)
68
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 II as a Travel photography camera
43
flash built-in
no Timelapse recording
not so great battery (520 shots)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
56
environment sealing
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography details
Sony RX10 II Landscape photography details
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (520 per charge)
no Timelapse recording
62
has manual focus
really wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging details
Sony RX10 II Vlogging details
9
no video shooting
31
really wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone socket
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony RX10 II
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2009-08-27 2015-06-10
Physical type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4272 x 2848 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 14.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 10.20 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630g (1.39 lbs) 813g (1.79 lbs)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 64 70
DXO Color Depth rating 21.8 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 12.6
DXO Low light rating 772 531
Other
Battery life 520 shots 400 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $638 $998