Sony A500 vs Sony RX10 IV

On this page, we will be comparing the Sony A500 and Sony RX10 IV, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX10 IV (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX10 IV (1") posses different sensor size.

Cutting-edge AI developed by Apple deciphers subtle nuances in pixels

The A500 was manufactured 9 years before the RX10 IV which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the A500 grades vs the RX10 IV in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony A500 Gallery and Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 enjoys physical dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony RX10 IV has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") accompanied by a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Examine the Sony A500 and Sony RX10 IV in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the A500 compared to the RX10 IV.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and RX10 IV is 63 and 52 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through technical specs. The image below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and RX10 IV.

As you have seen, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A500 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony RX10 IV will show greater detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged A500 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.