Sony WX500 vs Sony A57

Lets examine more in depth at the Sony WX500 and Sony A57, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are built by Sony. The sensor resolution of the WX500 (18MP) and the A57 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the WX500 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The WX500 was manufactured 2 years after the A57 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the WX500 scores vs the A57 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 and Sony SLT-A57. The entire galleries are available at Sony WX500 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony WX500 comes with outside dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs) while the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony WX500 and Sony A57 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the WX500 and the A57.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the WX500 and A57 is 91 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by seeing technical specs. The pic underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the WX500 and A57.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The WX500 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony WX500 will provide more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more modern WX500 should have an advantage in sensor technology.