Clicky

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Bump to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Revealed April 2010
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Released April 2015
  • Superseded the Sony WX350
Photography Glossary

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Sony A850 versus Sony WX500, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and WX500 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The A850 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the WX500 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the A850 grades against the WX500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony WX500

 A850 WX500 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen resolution922k921kClearer screen (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Sony A850

 WX500 A850 
ReleasedApril 2015April 2010Fresher by 60 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony WX500

 A850 WX500 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Sony A850 comes with physical measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) whilst the Sony WX500 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Sony A850 versus Sony WX500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the A850 and the WX500.

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A850 and WX500 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching specs. The graphic here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the A850 and WX500.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A850 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A850 will provide you with greater detail having an extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older A850 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography details
Sony WX500 Portrait photography details
72
has manual focus
MP count amazing (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview feature
39
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
comes with face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Sony A850 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Street photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
no articulating screen
69
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (236 grams)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Sony A850 Sports photography details
Sony WX500 Sports photography details
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count amazing (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
slow fps (3.0 fps)
57
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18MP)
comes with tracking focus
better than average battery (360 per charge)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Sony A850 as a Travel photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Travel photography camera
55
environment sealing
MP count amazing (25MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
71
better than average battery (360 per charge)
lighter than others (236 grams)
decent megapixels (18MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
great zoom (720mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Landscape photography camera
73
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count amazing (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
no liveview feature
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
49
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
better than average battery (360 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse function
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging features
Sony WX500 Vlogging features
9
can't shoot video
35
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (236g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have mic support
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sony A850 vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony WX500
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-04-15 2015-04-14
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6048 x 4032 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-6.4
Macro focus range - 5cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 922k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 895 grams (1.97 pounds) 236 grams (0.52 pounds)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 1415 not tested
Other
Battery life 880 images 360 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Card slots 2 One
Pricing at launch $0 $348