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Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II front
Portability
78
Imaging
76
Features
65
Overall
71

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II 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
  • Announced August 2009
  • Successor is Sony A560
Sony RX1R II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 50 - 25600 (Push to 102400)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 35mm (F2.0) lens
  • 507g - 113 x 65 x 72mm
  • Released October 2015
  • Succeeded the Sony RX1R
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Sony A500 and Sony RX1R II, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and RX1R II (42MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and RX1R II (Full frame) boast different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was announced 7 years prior to the RX1R II which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX1R II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the A500 matches up against the RX1R II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony RX1R II

 A500 RX1R II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX1R II over the Sony A500

 RX1R II A500 
ReleasedOctober 2015August 2009Newer by 74 months
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony RX1R II

 A500 RX1R II 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera often, you should factor its weight and size. The Sony A500 comes with 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) whilst the Sony RX1R II has specifications of 113mm x 65mm x 72mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") along with a weight of 507 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check out the Sony A500 and Sony RX1R II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the A500 and the RX1R II.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and RX1R II is 63 and 78 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through technical specs. The pic underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and RX1R II.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The A500 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony RX1R II will render extra detail with its extra 30MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged A500 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX1R II Portrait photography advice
63
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
85
you can focus manually
above average flash sync (1/4,000 seconds)
great resolution (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony RX1R II Street photography features
74
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
73
has a tilting screen
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
great high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (507 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography information
Sony RX1R II Sports photography information
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
slow frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (520 shots)
63
great resolution (42MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
can't change focal length (35mm)
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery (220 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography details
Sony RX1R II Travel photography details
43
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
not so great battery pack (520 per charge)
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
59
great resolution (42MP)
great max aperture (f2.0)
missing Timelapse function
not so great battery (220 shots)
more heavy than competition (507g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography details
Sony RX1R II Landscape photography details
60
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (520 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
68
you can focus manually
great max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
great resolution (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (35mm)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery (220 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX1R II as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
34
great max aperture (f2.0)
supports face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone support
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition (507g)
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Sony A500 vs Sony RX1R II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony RX1R II
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-08-27 2015-10-13
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 42 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4272 x 2848 7952 x 5304
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Max boosted ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 200 50
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35mm (1x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.0
Macro focusing range - 14cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Off, auto, fill flash, slow sync, rear sync, wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (120p, 30p)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630g (1.39 lb) 507g (1.12 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 113 x 65 x 72mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 64 97
DXO Color Depth rating 21.8 25.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 13.9
DXO Low light rating 772 3204
Other
Battery life 520 pictures 220 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2,5, 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $638 $3,300