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Sony A500 vs Sony W230

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
25
Overall
30

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 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
  • Later Model is Sony A560
Sony W230
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 30-120mm (F2.8-5.8) lens
  • 156g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Announced February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Sony A500 versus Sony W230, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the W230 (12MP) is pretty close but the A500 (APS-C) and W230 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was released 7 months later than the W230 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W230 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the A500 matches up vs the W230 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W230

 A500 W230 
AnnouncedAugust 2009February 2009More recent by 7 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Sony W230 over the Sony A500

 W230 A500 

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony W230

 A500 W230 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A500 enjoys physical 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) whilst the Sony W230 has sizing of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).

Look at the Sony A500 versus Sony W230 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the A500 vs the W230.

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A500 and W230 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements merely by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and W230.

As you can see, both of those cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor measurements. The A500 offers the bigger sensor which should make achieving bokeh simpler. The more modern A500 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony W230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography features
Sony W230 Portrait photography features
63
focusing manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
27
you can focus manually
no manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony W230 Street photography features
74
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography advice
Sony W230 Sports photography advice
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (520 CIPA)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W230 as a Travel photography camera
43
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
low battery pack (520 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (30mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography details
Sony W230 Landscape photography details
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery pack (520 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
36
you can focus manually
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (30mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W230 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (30mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external microphone port
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Sony A500 vs Sony W230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony W230
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-08-27 2009-02-17
Body design Compact SLR Compact
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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4272 x 2848 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 30-120mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-5.8
Macro focus range - 4cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 1 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.90 m
Flash settings 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
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 lbs) 156 grams (0.34 lbs)
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 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 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model 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
Pricing at release $638 $180