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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII front
Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII 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
  • Launched August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
Sony RX100 VII
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 302g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Announced July 2019
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 VI
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Sony A500 and Sony RX100 VII, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are offered by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX100 VII (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX100 VII (1") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was announced 11 years prior to the RX100 VII and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short overview of how the A500 grades versus the RX100 VII when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony RX100 VII

 A500 RX100 VII 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VII over the Sony A500

 RX100 VII A500 
AnnouncedJuly 2019August 2009Fresher by 120 months
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony RX100 VII

 A500 RX100 VII 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A500 provides outside measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 VII has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") and a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 and Sony RX100 VII in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the A500 and the RX100 VII.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and RX100 VII is 63 and 88 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through technical specs. The visual here might give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and RX100 VII.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A500 having a bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony RX100 VII will provide more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older A500 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 VII
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
66
focusing manually
great flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Street photography camera
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
includes touch focus
lighter than others in class (302 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography info
Sony RX100 VII Sports photography info
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps low (5.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
low battery power (520 CIPA)
70
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has tracking focus
has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (260 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Travel photography camera
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low battery power (520 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
77
lighter than others in class (302g)
supports bluetooth
includes touch focus
MP count good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
fairly wide (24mm)
low battery power (260 shots)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 VII
60
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
low battery power (520 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
65
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
low battery power (260 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
81
fairly wide (24mm)
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has microphone support
lighter than others in class (302g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX100 VII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony RX100 VII
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2009-08-27 2019-07-25
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 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
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 125
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-4.5
Macro focus range - 8cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 20.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in 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 -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 gr (1.39 lb) 302 gr (0.67 lb)
Physical 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 63
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.4
DXO Low light score 772 418
Other
Battery life 520 photographs 260 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $638 $1,298