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Sony A500 vs Sony T900

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 front
Portability
96
Imaging
34
Features
30
Overall
32

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 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
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
Sony T900
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-10.0) lens
  • 143g - 98 x 58 x 16mm
  • Revealed February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Sony A500 versus Sony T900, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and both are designed by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the T900 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the A500 (APS-C) and T900 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The A500 was unveiled 7 months later than the T900 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony T900 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the A500 scores against the T900 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony T900

 A500 T900 
RevealedAugust 2009February 2009Fresher by 7 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony T900 over the Sony A500

 T900 A500 
Screen dimensions3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony T900

 A500 T900 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 comes with exterior measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony T900 has dimensions of 98mm x 58mm x 16mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.6") and a weight of 143 grams (0.32 lbs).

See the Sony A500 versus Sony T900 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the A500 and the T900.

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A500 and T900 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at specifications. The graphic below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and T900.

Plainly, both cameras provide the same megapixels albeit different sensor sizing. The A500 includes the bigger sensor which is going to make obtaining bokeh simpler. The younger A500 should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony T900 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography highlights
Sony T900 Portrait photography highlights
63
focusing manually
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
27
you can focus manually
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A500
Street photography with Sony T900
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony T900
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second low (5.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low max shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography factors
Sony T900 Travel photography factors
43
built-in flash
no Timelapse function
not so great battery power (520 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
no Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony T900 as a Landscape photography camera
60
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
no Timelapse function
36
you can focus manually
bigger than average screen (3.5 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A500
Vlogging with Sony T900
9
can't shoot video
28
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (35mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone jack
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Sony A500 vs Sony T900 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony T900
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900
Type Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Introduced 2009-08-27 2009-02-17
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
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 surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4272 x 2848 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-10.0
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3.5"
Resolution of display 230k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1000s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 2.90 m (Auto ISO)
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
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630g (1.39 pounds) 143g (0.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 98 x 58 x 16mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.6")
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 shots -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $638 $300