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Sony A500 vs Sony A55

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 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
  • Released August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Newer Model is Sony A57
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Sony A500 vs Sony A55 Overview

The following is a comprehensive analysis of the Sony A500 vs Sony A55, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras and they are both designed by Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor size (APS-C).

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The A500 was unveiled 12 months prior to the A55 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the A500 matches up vs the A55 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony A55

 A500 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony A500

 A55 A500 
IntroducedAugust 2010August 2009Newer by 12 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony A55

 A500 A55 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 features outer measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A500 vs Sony A55 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the A500 vs the A55.

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and A55 is 63 and 67 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by checking out a spec sheet. The image here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A500 and A55.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can count on the Sony A55 to produce more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged A500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony A55
63
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
73
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography factors
Sony A55 Street photography factors
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
77
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A500
Sports photography with Sony A55
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
max fps low (5.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (520 per charge)
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (380 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography highlights
Sony A55 Travel photography highlights
43
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (520 per charge)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
62
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
no Timelapse mode
low battery power (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A55 as a Landscape photography camera
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (520 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
67
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
low battery power (380 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A500
Vlogging with Sony A55
9
can't shoot video
78
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
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Sony A500 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony A55
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony SLT-A55
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-08-27 2010-08-24
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4272 x 2848 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 630 gr (1.39 pounds) 500 gr (1.10 pounds)
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 rating 64 73
DXO Color Depth rating 21.8 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 12.4
DXO Low light rating 772 816
Other
Battery life 520 photographs 380 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FM500H NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $638 $800