Sony A500 vs Sony W560

The following is a detailed overview of the Sony A500 versus Sony W560, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both produced by Sony. The image resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the W560 (14MP) is very close but the A500 (APS-C) and W560 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The A500 was unveiled 16 months before the W560 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W560 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the A500 matches up vs the W560 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560. The full galleries are provided at Sony A500 Gallery and Sony W560 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony A500 offers exterior measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony W560 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Examine the Sony A500 versus Sony W560 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the A500 and the W560.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the A500 and W560 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Generally, its hard to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by looking through specifications. The image below may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and W560.

Plainly, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A500 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony W560 will render greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A500 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.