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Sony A500 vs Sony TX1

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 front
Portability
96
Imaging
33
Features
21
Overall
28

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 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
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
Sony TX1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 58 x 17mm
  • Introduced August 2009
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Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 Overview

Below is a detailed assessment of the Sony A500 and Sony TX1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are sold by Sony. The image resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the TX1 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the A500 (APS-C) and TX1 (1/2.4") come with different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was manufactured very close to the TX1 and they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the A500 scores versus the TX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony TX1

 A500 TX1 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony TX1 over the Sony A500

 TX1 A500 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony TX1

 A500 TX1 
IntroducedAugust 2009August 2009Similar age
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A500 features outer 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 TX1 has proportions of 94mm x 58mm x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Compare the Sony A500 and Sony TX1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the A500 against the TX1.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and TX1 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at specs. The graphic underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and TX1.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A500 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A500 will give you extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony TX1 as a Portrait photography camera
63
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography information
Sony TX1 Street photography information
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
57
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography advice
Sony TX1 Sports photography advice
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
low battery life (520 shots)
24
image stabilization (Optical)
low max shutter speed (1/1,250s)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.4")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony TX1 as a Travel photography camera
43
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery life (520 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography information
Sony TX1 Landscape photography information
60
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
low battery life (520 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
31
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging highlights
Sony TX1 Vlogging highlights
9
no video
28
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic socket
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Sony A500 vs Sony TX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony TX1
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2009-08-27 2009-08-06
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.4"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4272 x 2848 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
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
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-4.6
Macro focus distance - 8cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1250 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630g (1.39 pounds) 142g (0.31 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 94 x 58 x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 64 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 772 not tested
Other
Battery life 520 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $638 $350