Sony A500 vs Sony W690

Here, we are contrasting the Sony A500 versus Sony W690, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and W690 (16MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and W690 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A500 was revealed 3 years earlier than the W690 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the A500 grades vs the W690 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690. The full galleries are viewable at Sony A500 Gallery & Sony W690 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 comes with 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 W690 has dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Sony A500 versus Sony W690 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the A500 compared to the W690.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the A500 and W690 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing specs. The graphic here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A500 and W690.

All in all, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A500 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony W690 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.