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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 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
  • Revealed August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched August 2012
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 II
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 Overview

On this page, we are matching up the Sony A500 and Sony RX100, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both created by Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was unveiled 4 years before the RX100 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the A500 scores vs the RX100 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony RX100

 A500 RX100 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony A500

 RX100 A500 
LaunchedAugust 2012August 2009Fresher by 36 months
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony RX100

 A500 RX100 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony A500 enjoys outside dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony RX100 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Sony A500 and Sony RX100 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the A500 compared to the RX100.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and RX100 is 63 and 91 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing merely by looking at specs. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and RX100.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A500 having a larger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony RX100 will give greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Portrait photography camera
63
manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
64
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
includes face detect focus
exports RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography information
Sony RX100 Street photography information
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
79
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (240 grams)
good ISO range (25,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 Sports photography advice
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
bad battery life (520 CIPA)
65
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
includes tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 Travel photography info
43
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (520 shots)
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
79
lighter than competition (240 grams)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography information
Sony RX100 Landscape photography information
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
bad battery life (520 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
74
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging features
Sony RX100 Vlogging features
9
no video
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (240g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone jack
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony RX100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-08-27 2012-08-28
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4272 x 2848 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160s 1/2000s
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)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 lb) 240 grams (0.53 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 66
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.4
DXO Low light score 772 390
Other
Battery life 520 photographs 330 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $638 $448