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Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50

Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59
Sony Alpha a3500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Key Specs

Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A3000
Sony WX50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2012
Photography Glossary

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Sony a3500 and Sony WX50, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the a3500 (20MP) and WX50 (16MP) and the a3500 (APS-C) and WX50 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The a3500 was announced 2 years after the WX50 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX50 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the a3500 matches up vs the WX50 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Sony WX50

 a3500 WX50 
LaunchedMarch 2014January 2012Newer by 27 months
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony WX50 over the Sony a3500

 WX50 a3500 
Display resolution461k230kClearer display (+231k dot)

Common features in the Sony a3500 and Sony WX50

 a3500 WX50 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Sony a3500 provides outer measurements of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Sony WX50 has sizing of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Sony a3500 and Sony WX50 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the a3500 and the WX50.

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the a3500 and WX50 is 69 and 96 respectively.

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 top view buttons comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reading technical specs. The picture underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the a3500 and WX50.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The a3500 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony a3500 will deliver more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The younger a3500 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 sensor size comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a3500 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony WX50 as a Portrait photography camera
77
has manual focus
MP count decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
34
megapixel count decent (16MP)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony a3500 Street photography advice
Sony WX50 Street photography advice
57
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (411g)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (117 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony a3500 Sports photography details
Sony WX50 Sports photography details
60
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
great battery (470 per charge)
max fps very slow (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
44
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony a3500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony WX50 as a Travel photography camera
60
great battery (470 CIPA)
MP count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors (411g)
screen is not selfie friendly
69
lighter than others in class (117 grams)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony a3500
Landscape photography with Sony WX50
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (470 shots)
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse recording
38
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.6)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony a3500
Vlogging with Sony WX50
26
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
no microphone socket
more heavy than competitors (411 grams)
35
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (117g)
slow max aperture (f2.6)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic socket
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Sony a3500 vs Sony WX50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a3500 and Sony WX50
 Sony Alpha a3500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a3500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-03-21 2012-01-30
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip BIONZ image BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 5456 x 3632 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 16000 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 25 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focus range - 5cm
Total lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 461 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT LCD Clearfoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) 5.30 m
Flash settings Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 411 gr (0.91 lb) 117 gr (0.26 lb)
Dimensions 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 470 shots 240 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type - SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $398 $250