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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III 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
  • Released August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Launched May 2014
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 II
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 IV
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both are sold by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX100 III (1") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was unveiled 5 years prior to the RX100 III which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the A500 scores against the RX100 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony RX100 III

 A500 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Sony A500

 RX100 III A500 
LaunchedMay 2014August 2009Newer by 57 months
Display resolution1229k230kCrisper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony RX100 III

 A500 RX100 III 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 offers exterior measurements 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 III has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the A500 versus the RX100 III.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and RX100 III is 63 and 89 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions merely by seeing specs. The picture underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and RX100 III.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A500 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony RX100 III will produce greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged A500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography details
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
64
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Street photography camera
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Sports photography camera
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (520 CIPA)
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports tracking focus
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 III Travel photography information
43
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
bad battery life (520 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
85
lighter than competition (290g)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
decently wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 III
60
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery life (520 shots)
no Timelapse function
73
you can focus manually
decently wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 III Vlogging highlights
9
no video recording
80
decently wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (290g)
lack of microphone socket
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony RX100 III
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Released 2009-08-27 2014-05-15
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 surface area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4272 x 2848 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 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 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 lbs) 290 grams (0.64 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 67
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.3
DXO Low light score 772 495
Other
Battery life 520 images 320 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $638 $748