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Sony A500 vs Sony W220

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 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
  • Released August 2009
  • Later Model is Sony A560
Sony W220
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 30-120mm (F2.8-7.1) lens
  • 147g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Sony A500 vs Sony W220 Overview

Below is a extensive assessment of the Sony A500 versus Sony W220, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Sony. The resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the W220 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the A500 (APS-C) and W220 (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

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The A500 was manufactured 8 months later than the W220 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W220 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the A500 grades vs the W220 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W220

 A500 W220 
LaunchedAugust 2009January 2009More recent by 8 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony W220 over the Sony A500

 W220 A500 

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony W220

 A500 W220 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A500 has got outer measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony W220 has measurements of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Sony A500 versus Sony W220 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the A500 compared to the W220.

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A500 and W220 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements just by reading through specs. The visual below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and W220.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have the same megapixel count albeit different sensor measurements. The A500 comes with the bigger sensor which is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler. The newer A500 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony W220 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography highlights
Sony W220 Portrait photography highlights
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
27
focusing manually
no manual control
no external flash support
low resolution (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography factors
Sony W220 Street photography factors
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
57
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony W220
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery power (520 CIPA)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography details
Sony W220 Travel photography details
43
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
bad battery power (520 shots)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
low resolution (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (30mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography info
Sony W220 Landscape photography info
60
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (520 CIPA)
no Time Lapse function
32
focusing manually
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (30mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging advice
Sony W220 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (30mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have microphone socket
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Sony A500 vs Sony W220 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony W220
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2009-08-27 2009-01-08
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 30-120mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-7.1
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 1 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 7.10 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Flash On, Slow Syncro, Red-eye, Flash Off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (8 fps)
Highest video resolution None 640x480
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 lb) 147 grams (0.32 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $638 $160