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Sony A500 vs Sony W570

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
25
Overall
33

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 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
  • Newer Model is Sony A560
Sony W570
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 116g - 91 x 52 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
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Sony A500 vs Sony W570 Overview

The following is a in depth review of the Sony A500 versus Sony W570, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are offered by Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and W570 (16MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and W570 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The A500 was announced 16 months earlier than the W570 making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W570 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the A500 matches up vs the W570 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W570

 A500 W570 
Focus manually More exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony W570 over the Sony A500

 W570 A500 
LaunchedJanuary 2011August 2009Newer by 16 months

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony W570

 A500 W570 
Display resolution230k230kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Sony A500 provides outer 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) while the Sony W570 has specifications of 91mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") along with a weight of 116 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Sony A500 versus Sony W570 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the A500 versus the W570.

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A500 and W570 is 63 and 96 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking technical specs. The pic here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and W570.

As you have seen, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A500 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony W570 will give extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The more aged A500 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony W570 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony W570 as a Portrait photography camera
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
30
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography highlights
Sony W570 Street photography highlights
74
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
58
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography factors
Sony W570 Sports photography factors
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
low frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (520 CIPA)
36
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography information
Sony W570 Travel photography information
43
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (520 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
66
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W570 as a Landscape photography camera
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery (520 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
38
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A500
Vlogging with Sony W570
9
can't shoot video
29
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
does not have selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic jack
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Sony A500 vs Sony W570 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony W570
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570
Type Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2009-08-27 2011-01-06
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4272 x 2848 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.70 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
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630 gr (1.39 lb) 116 gr (0.26 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 91 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
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 pictures -
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 feature
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
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $638 $159