Sony A500 vs Sony S950

Below is a extensive analysis of the Sony A500 vs Sony S950, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both built by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the S950 (10MP) is fairly well matched but the A500 (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The A500 was announced 7 months later than the S950 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the A500 matches up against the S950 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A500 Gallery and Sony S950 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A500 features outside 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) and the Sony S950 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Sony A500 vs Sony S950 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the A500 vs the S950.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A500 and S950 is 63 and 94 respectively.

In many cases, it is very difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements only by looking at technical specs. The visual below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and S950.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A500 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony A500 will resolve extra detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent A500 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.