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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI front
Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
75
Overall
62

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI 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
  • Newer Model is Sony A560
Sony RX100 VI
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 301g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Announced June 2018
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 V
  • Refreshed by Sony RX100 VII
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Sony A500 versus Sony RX100 VI, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX100 VI (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX100 VI (1") come with different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was manufactured 9 years prior to the RX100 VI and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VI being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the A500 grades versus the RX100 VI when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony RX100 VI

 A500 RX100 VI 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VI over the Sony A500

 RX100 VI A500 
AnnouncedJune 2018August 2009More recent by 106 months
Screen resolution1229k230kCrisper screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony RX100 VI

 A500 RX100 VI 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 has external measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony RX100 VI has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") with a weight of 301 grams (0.66 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A500 versus Sony RX100 VI in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the A500 and the RX100 VI.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and RX100 VI is 63 and 88 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and RX100 VI.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 VI will produce extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 VI as a Portrait photography camera
63
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
66
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony RX100 VI Street photography features
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
boasts touch to focus
lighter than others (301 grams)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 VI as a Sports photography camera
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery pack (520 per charge)
70
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high max frames per second (24.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
supports tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (240 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 VI Travel photography information
43
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (520 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
77
lighter than others (301 grams)
has bluetooth
boasts touch to focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
decently wide (24mm)
not so great battery power (240 shots)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 VI as a Landscape photography camera
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery pack (520 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
65
has manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
not so great battery power (240 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A500
Vlogging with Sony RX100 VI
9
can't shoot video
77
decently wide (24mm)
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than others (301 grams)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not have external mic port
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VI Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony RX100 VI
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI
Category Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Released 2009-08-27 2018-06-05
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 315
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focus distance - 8cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 24.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 5.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 pounds) 301 grams (0.66 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 102 x 58 x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7")
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 photos 240 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $638 $1,198