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Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony ZV-1 front
Portability
88
Imaging
55
Features
86
Overall
67

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Key Specs

Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
Sony ZV-1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 294g - 105 x 60 x 44mm
  • Revealed May 2020
  • Renewed by Sony ZV-1 II
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Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Overview

Lets look a little more closely at the Sony A500 versus Sony ZV-1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are offered by Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the A500 (12MP) and ZV-1 (20MP) and the A500 (APS-C) and ZV-1 (1") posses different sensor size.

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The A500 was introduced 11 years earlier than the ZV-1 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony ZV-1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a concise summary of how the A500 grades versus the ZV-1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony ZV-1

 A500 ZV-1 

Reasons to pick Sony ZV-1 over the Sony A500

 ZV-1 A500 
RevealedMay 2020August 2009More recent by 130 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony ZV-1

 A500 ZV-1 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A500 features outer dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony ZV-1 has dimensions of 105mm x 60mm x 44mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.7") with a weight of 294 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Sony A500 versus Sony ZV-1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the A500 vs the ZV-1.

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A500 and ZV-1 is 63 and 88 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 top view buttons comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over specs. The visual here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A500 and ZV-1.

All in all, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A500 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Sony ZV-1 will offer you greater detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older A500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A500 Portrait photography advice
Sony ZV-1 Portrait photography advice
63
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
73
manual focus
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography highlights
Sony ZV-1 Street photography highlights
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
85
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
features touch to focus
lighter than others in class (294 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
Sony ZV-1 as a Sports photography camera
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (5.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
bad battery (520 shots)
71
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (24.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with tracking focus
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery (260 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony ZV-1 as a Travel photography camera
43
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
bad battery (520 per charge)
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
81
lighter than others in class (294g)
has bluetooth
features touch to focus
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
bad battery (260 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography details
Sony ZV-1 Landscape photography details
60
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
bad battery (520 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
70
manual focus
really wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
bad battery (260 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A500 Vlogging highlights
Sony ZV-1 Vlogging highlights
9
no video shooting
86
really wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
lighter than others in class (294g)
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Sony A500 vs Sony ZV-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony ZV-1
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony ZV-1
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony ZV-1
Type Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2009-08-27 2020-05-27
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4272 x 2848 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 315
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 24.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 60 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 24 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 60i / 17 Mbps, AVCHD, MTS, H.264, Dolby Digital1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 630 gr (1.39 lbs) 294 gr (0.65 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") 105 x 60 x 44mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 772 not tested
Other
Battery life 520 pictures 260 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
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
Storage slots One One
Launch price $638 $750