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Sony A500 vs Sony TX20

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
50
Overall
43

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Key Specs

Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Successor is Sony A560
Sony TX20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 133g - 96 x 56 x 18mm
  • Launched February 2012
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Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Overview

Following is a detailed comparison of the Sony A500 vs Sony TX20, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact and they are both offered by Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and TX20 (16MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and TX20 (1/2.3") offer different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was released 3 years before the TX20 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX20 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the A500 grades against the TX20 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony TX20

 A500 TX20 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony TX20 over the Sony A500

 TX20 A500 
LaunchedFebruary 2012August 2009More modern by 30 months
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony TX20

 A500 TX20 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 provides outer dimensions 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 TX20 has dimensions of 96mm x 56mm x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Examine the Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the A500 and the TX20.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and TX20 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes purely by going over specifications. The picture below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and TX20.

Plainly, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A500 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony TX20 will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged A500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Portrait photography camera
63
has manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
40
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect focusing
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography details
Sony TX20 Street photography details
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus by touch
weather proofing
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Sports photography camera
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (520 CIPA)
50
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
better than average battery life (250 shots)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Travel photography camera
43
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (520 CIPA)
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
72
better than average battery life (250 CIPA)
weather proofing
offers focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony TX20
60
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (520 shots)
no Timelapse recording
52
you can focus manually
really wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
weather proofing
better than average battery life (250 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging advice
Sony TX20 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
35
really wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone jack
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Sony A500 vs Sony TX20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony TX20
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2009-08-27 2012-02-28
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
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 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4272 x 2848 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-4.6
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630 gr (1.39 lbs) 133 gr (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 96 x 56 x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 250 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $638 $330