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Sony A500 vs Sony TX66

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 front
Portability
97
Imaging
42
Features
51
Overall
45

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 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
  • Announced August 2009
  • Newer Model is Sony A560
Sony TX66
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Announced February 2012
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Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 Overview

Below, we are contrasting the Sony A500 and Sony TX66, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and both are built by Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and TX66 (18MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and TX66 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was launched 3 years earlier than the TX66 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX66 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise view of how the A500 scores against the TX66 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony TX66

 A500 TX66 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Sony TX66 over the Sony A500

 TX66 A500 
AnnouncedFebruary 2012August 2009More recent by 30 months
Display dimension3.3"3"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1230k230kCrisper display (+1000k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony TX66

 A500 TX66 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A500 provides physical dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony TX66 has proportions of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") and a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check the Sony A500 and Sony TX66 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the A500 versus the TX66.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and TX66 is 63 and 97 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and TX66.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A500 because of its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony TX66 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony TX66
63
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focus
supports RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
42
manual focus
resolution is good (18MP)
has face detect focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography details
Sony TX66 Street photography details
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch focus
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography features
Sony TX66 Sports photography features
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12MP)
not so great battery pack (520 CIPA)
49
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
better than average battery power (250 per charge)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography factors
Sony TX66 Travel photography factors
43
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery pack (520 CIPA)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
72
better than average battery power (250 CIPA)
boasts touch focus
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (26mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography info
Sony TX66 Landscape photography info
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
not so great battery pack (520 shots)
no Timelapse mode
51
manual focus
quite wide (26mm)
good sized screen (3.3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
better than average battery power (250 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony TX66 as a Vlogging camera
9
lack of video recording
36
quite wide (26mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic port
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Sony A500 vs Sony TX66 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony TX66
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66
Class Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2009-08-27 2012-02-28
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4272 x 2848 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-4.8
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3.3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 1,230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - XtraFine TruBlack OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.10 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Rear Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630 gr (1.39 lb) 109 gr (0.24 lb)
Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images 250 images
Type 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
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo, microSD/microSDHC
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $638 $350