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Sony A500 vs Sony W510

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510 front
Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 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
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Renewed by Sony A560
Sony W510
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 119g - 96 x 54 x 20mm
  • Announced January 2011
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Sony A500 vs Sony W510 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Sony A500 versus Sony W510, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are designed by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the W510 (12MP) is very similar but the A500 (APS-C) and W510 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The A500 was launched 16 months before the W510 making them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W510 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the A500 matches up versus the W510 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W510

 A500 W510 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony W510 over the Sony A500

 W510 A500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011August 2009More recent by 16 months

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony W510

 A500 W510 
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A500 enjoys outside dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony W510 has specifications of 96mm x 54mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8") along with a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A500 versus Sony W510 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the A500 against the W510.

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and W510 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading specifications. The photograph here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and W510.

To sum up, the two cameras come with the identical MP but not the same sensor measurements. The A500 has the larger sensor which is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler. The older A500 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony W510 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography advice
Sony W510 Portrait photography advice
63
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
21
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A500
Street photography with Sony W510
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
57
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography features
Sony W510 Sports photography features
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (5.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12MP)
not so great battery power (520 shots)
25
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography factors
Sony W510 Travel photography factors
43
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
58
built-in flash
decently wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A500
Landscape photography with Sony W510
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (520 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
32
decently wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging features
Sony W510 Vlogging features
9
no video shooting
29
decently wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone support
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Sony A500 vs Sony W510 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony W510
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Introduced 2009-08-27 2011-01-06
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz 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 area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4272 x 2848 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 4cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 2s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 2.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630 grams (1.39 lb) 119 grams (0.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 96 x 54 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8")
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 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-BN1
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 SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at release $638 $99