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Sony a3500

 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
 
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Sony a3500 summary

Sony a3500 is Sony's Entry-Level Mirrorless camera initially revealed on March of 2014. The camera includes a 20MP, CMOS APS-C sized sensor and has a max resolution of 5456 x 3632.

Sony launched this camera as a way to update the previous Sony A3000 (Read Full Comparison)

The a3500 comes in at #64 out of 117 in Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and over-all #322 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. You should try out our Smart camera finder to get camera listings based on your custom requirements.

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The following is a diagram of specific factors used in the rating system.

Sony a3500 family

The Sony a3500 is part of a family of products. You can read the detailed range underneath.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Sony-Alpha-a5100 front thumbnailSony a5100
a3500 vs a5100
24MPAPS-C6.0 fps2014
Sony-Alpha-a3500 front thumbnailSony a350020MPAPS-C4.0 fps2014
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Sony-Alpha-a5000 front thumbnailSony a5000
a3500 vs a5000
20MPAPS-C4.0 fps2014
Sony-Alpha-A3000 front thumbnailSony A3000
a3500 vs A3000
20MPAPS-C3.0 fps2013

Sony a3500 Pros and Cons

Below is a collection of advantages and disadvantages of the Sony a3500 based on aspects which are normally considered important in a camera.

above average minimum ISO (100)
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes HDMI socket
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
supports tracking autofocus
you can focus manually
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
does not have external mic socket
does not have headphone socket
does not have image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
fixed screen
heavier than competition in class (411g)
low resolution screen (230 thousand dots)
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Sony a3500 Sensor details

The Sony a3500 is powered by the BIONZ image processor chip. The sensor spec on the Sony a3500 is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor can capture 5456 x 3632 pixels and aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 20 megapixels and features a native ISO range of 100 to 16000. RAW format is supported which means that you have wider room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath illustrates the a3500's sensor dimensions when compared to other common sizes. The a3500 sensor comes with a crop factor of 1.5 and is showcased in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony a3500 dimensions

Sony a3500 weighs about 0.91 lbs (411 grams / 14.50 oz) and features external proportions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3"). The weight of typical Entry-Level Mirrorless camera is 329 grams and the Sony a3500 is heavier when compared to its rivals.

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Down below is a picture of the Sony a3500 beside a softdrink to help you to have a feel for its scale.

Sony Alpha a3500 dimensions scale

The top view just below will highlight the button layout on the a3500.

Sony Alpha a3500 topview buttons dials

Sony a3500 Lens specs

The a3500 fits the Sony E mount and has 170 lenses that you can buy. Below is a small number of the lenses we have in our database which will work with the a3500.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Sigma-19mm-F2.8-DN-Sony-E-NEX lensSigma 19mm F2.8 DN19mmf/2.8 140g
Venus-Laowa-25mm-F2.8-2.5-5X-Ultra-Macro-Sony-E lensVenus Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro25mmf/2.8400g
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Samyang-12mm-f2.0-NCS-CS-Sony-E-NEX lensSamyang 12mm f2.0 NCS CS12mmf/2.0 260g
Tamron-28-200mm-F2.8-5.6-Di-III-RXD-Sony-FE lensTamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD28-200mmf/2.8-5.6576g
Sigma-150-600mm-F5-6.3-DG-DN-OS-S-Sony-FE-Mount lensSigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS S150-600mmf/5-6.3 2100g
Tamron-24mm-F2.8-Di-III-OSD-M1-2-Sony-FE lensTamron 24mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1-224mmf/2.8215g
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Sony-FE-35mm-F2.8-ZA-Carl-Zeiss-Sonnar-T lensSony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T35mmf/2.8 120g
Photography Glossary

Sony a3500 Connectivity

The a3500 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that come with NFC and / or Bluetooth compatibility can be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You will be able to copy pictures and sometimes adjust camera settings without the hassle of connecting straight to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and hit the shutter when you are not close to the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI out, it can be hooked up to an external display. The majority of cameras enable you to charge the battery pack through the USB socket.

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Sony a3500 Video specs

The max video quality on the Sony a3500 is 1920 x 1080 and it can shoot in AVCHD and H.264 format. 1080p quality delivers a great balance for quality vs file sizes but 1080p won't give you much room to crop. The camera does not have a mic and / or headphone jack which means you get little control over your audio. It is probably best to have a look at another model in case you need good audio in your video clips.

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Sony a3500 Weather Sealing

There is no environment proofing for the Sony a3500 so you need to be careful in wet and dusty conditions.

Sony a3500 Display and Viewfinder

The Sony a3500 includes a 3 inch fixed screen supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the screen is not a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder specifications regarding Sony a3500 are as follows:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100%
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.47x

Viewfinders are really handy for sunny outdoor conditions which will make the camera display washed out and hard to view.

Sony a3500 Shutter specs

Sony a3500 continuous shooting rate is 4.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

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Sony a3500 Flash and Hot shoe specs

Sony a3500 boasts both inbuilt flash and also external flash support. The highest flash sync is 1/160 seconds.

Sony a3500 Autofocusing specs

Sony a3500 boasts just Contrast Detect Autofocus and is missing Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is more faster & precise when compared to Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera includes Face detect which can be helpful for taking photos of people.

The Sensor includes 25 focus points to select from. It also has Tracking Autofocus for objects that move. Sony a3500 comes with manual focus when required for low light occasions or you need more exact focus control.

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Sony a3500 Battery life

The battery pack (NP-FW50) for the Sony a3500 is fashioned to last for 470 photos according to the CIPA specifications making it higher than average when compared to its class. The usual Entry-Level Mirrorless camera battery life is 343. Fujifilm X-S20 has the maximum (750) battery life for this group of cameras.

Following is a listing of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras which have the highest battery life:

Sony a3500 for varying categories of photography

The following chart gives a summary of the Sony a3500 for varying categories of photography. To learn more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

Sony a3500 Portrait photography features

The Sony a3500 has a points tally of 77 which is impressive, meaning that it is a tremendous choice for portraits. Taking portrait images favors heavily to sensor specs, RAW support along with the option to work with off-camera flash.

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has manual focus
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detection focus
saves RAW formats

Sony a3500 as a Street photography camera

With a reasonable rating of 57, the Sony a3500 is relatively suitable to use in street photography. A very good street photography camera offers a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

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decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (411g)

Sony a3500 Sports photography factors

A modest sports photography score of 60 means the Sony a3500 is somewhat acceptable for shooting sports. A camera needs excellent autofocus plus fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

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MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery life (470 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
no phase detect AF

Sony a3500 as a Travel photography camera

Size is extremely crucial in getting a travel camera. On the whole, the Sony a3500 gets a modest 60 for a travelling camera which makes it somewhat adequate to purchase for your vacations.

Photography Glossary
great battery power (470 CIPA)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
more heavy than others (411 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display

Sony a3500 as a Landscape photography camera

If you are planning to pick a digital camera for landscape photos, the most important factor will no doubt be image quality. The Sony a3500 and it's above average grade of 70 for a landscape camera is a fine choice within the current marketplace.

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manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good battery (470 CIPA)
no image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording

Sony a3500 Vlogging information

A camera for vlogging should posses a moving display, mic input and preferably image stabilization. Taking everything in to account, the Sony a3500 is not very good for vlogging as it delivers a terrible rating of 26.

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features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of mic support
heavier than average in class (411 grams)

Sony a3500 Alternatives

If you are searching for alternatives to the a3500, below is a collection of the top ranked cameras that fall within the class of Entry-Level Mirrorless.

The graph here provides you a bird's eye view of the a3500 compared to it's highest ranking competitors listed earlier.

Following are several cameras you may look into as alternate options. To read a comprehensive comparison, click the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Brand Name
Sony
Model
Sony Alpha a3500
Category
Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced
2014-03-21
Physical type
SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Powered by
BIONZ image
Sensor size
APS-C
Sensor dimensions
23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area
366.6mm²
Sensor resolution
20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution
5456 x 3632
RAW data
Max native ISO
16000
Min native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points
25
Lens
Lens mounting type
Sony E
Number of lenses
121
Crop factor
1.5
Screen
Display type
Fixed Type
Display diagonal
3"
Display resolution
230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology
TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Electronic
Viewfinder coverage
100%
Viewfinder magnification
0.47x
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Min shutter speed
30 secs
Max shutter speed
1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate
4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range
6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash settings
Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize
1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video file format
AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
411 gr (0.91 lbs)
Physical dimensions
128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
Other
Battery life
470 pictures
Battery type
Battery Pack
Battery model
NP-FW50
Self timer
Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse feature
Card slots
Single
Retail pricing
$398