Sony A500 vs Sony S950
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
94 Imaging
33 Features
17 Overall
26
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Key Specs
(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
- New Model is Sony A560
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- No Video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Announced February 2009
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Overview
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.
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsThe 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.
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Gallery
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.
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony S950
A500 | S950 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2009 | February 2009 | More recent by 7 months | |
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
Display dimension | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony A500
S950 | A500 |
---|
Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony S950
A500 | S950 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | Dial accurate focus | |||
Display resolution | 230k | 230k | Identical display resolution | |
Selfie screen | Neither includes selfie screen | |||
Touch display | Neither includes Touch display |
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison
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.
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison
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.
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Sony A500 vs Sony S950 Specifications
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Sony | Sony |
Model type | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2009-08-27 | 2009-02-17 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Bionz | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | APS-C | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 366.6mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4272 x 2848 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 12800 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Sony/Minolta Alpha | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
Macro focusing range | - | 10cm |
Amount of lenses | 143 | - |
Crop factor | 1.5 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.53x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 30s | 2s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m | 3.50 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/160s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Highest video resolution | None | None |
Video file format | - | Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 630 gr (1.39 lb) | 167 gr (0.37 lb) |
Dimensions | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 64 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.8 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.6 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 772 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 520 photos | - |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | NP-FM500H | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail price | $638 | $130 |