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Sony A500 vs Sony A33

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony SLT-A33 front
Portability
67
Imaging
54
Features
80
Overall
64

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 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
  • Later Model is Sony A560
Sony A33
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Later Model is Sony A35
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Sony A500 vs Sony A33 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Sony A500 vs Sony A33, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras and both are offered by Sony. The image resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the A33 (14MP) is very close and both cameras offer the same sensor size (APS-C).

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The A500 was released 12 months prior to the A33 and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a short highlight of how the A500 scores vs the A33 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A33

 A500 A33 

Reasons to pick Sony A33 over the Sony A500

 A33 A500 
LaunchedAugust 2010August 2009Fresher by 12 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony A33

 A500 A33 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A500 comes with external 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) and the Sony A33 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A500 vs Sony A33 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the A500 compared to the A33.

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and A33 is 63 and 67 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's hard to envision the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through specs. The photograph here should provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A500 and A33.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Sony A33 to render extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The older A500 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony A33 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography factors
Sony A33 Portrait photography factors
63
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (12MP)
72
manual focus
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography information
Sony A33 Street photography information
74
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
76
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography highlights
Sony A33 Sports photography highlights
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery (520 per charge)
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (340 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A33 as a Travel photography camera
43
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
bad battery (520 shots)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
61
good MP (14MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery (340 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography factors
Sony A33 Landscape photography factors
60
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
bad battery (520 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
67
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
not so great battery (340 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging info
Sony A33 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
77
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone support
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Sony A500 vs Sony A33 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony A33
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony SLT-A33
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony SLT-A33
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2009-08-27 2010-08-24
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4272 x 2848 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 grams (1.39 lbs) 500 grams (1.10 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 70
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 22.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 12.6
DXO Low light score 772 591
Other
Battery life 520 pictures 340 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $638 $230