Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Review

Overall Score

60

Main Features

  • 12 MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • 200 - 12800 ISO
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) Viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • Built-In Wireless
  • 137 x 104 x 84 mm, 630g.
  • Price Category:
  • Replaced by: Alpha DSLR-A560

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Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Overview


First introduced in August, 2009, Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 is a 12 MP DSLR with a APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Sony replaced Alpha DSLR-A500 with Sony A560. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Sony A500 with Sony A560


Sony A500 comes with a 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which has a diagonal of 28.21 mm (1.1").

- Full Frame
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A500

Sensor resolution of Sony A500 ~ 4256 x 2819 pixels.

Sony A500 has Crop Factor: 1.53

The sensor has a surface area of 366.6 mm².

There are approximate 11,997,664 photosites (pixels) on this area.

Sony A500 Series History
Model Year $ Sensor ISO Weight Dimensions
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 Sony A580 2011 16MP 100 - 12800 599g 137 x 104 x 84mm
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 Sony A560 2010 14MP 100 - 12800 599g 137 x 104 x 84mm
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony A550 2009 14MP 200 - 12800 632g 137 x 104 x 84mm
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sony A500 2009 12MP 200 - 12800 630g 137 x 104 x 84mm

Proc and Cons of Sony A500


Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 with competitors in entry-level dslr cameras.

Pros
Built-in Wireless
Tilting Screen
Optical Viewfinder
RAW Support
5.0 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Focus
9 Focus Points
Flash Sync Port
Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
External Flash
AF Face Detection
12800 Max Native ISO
1/4000s Max Shutter Speed
Manual Exposure Mode
2 AE Bracketing Range
Focus Bracketing
Cons
No Bluetooth
No Touch Screen
No Environmental Sealing
Weight: 630g
No Articulating Screen
No Full HD Video
Low Screen Resolution: 230k dots
Low Battery Life: 520 shots
Type Scores

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 has an Overall Score of 60/100 and ranked #112 out of 206 in DSLR cameras, and ranked #341 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Sony A500 Scores
Imaging score
51
Features score
62
Value for money score
74
Portability score
75
Overall score
60
Average Scores in Entry-Level DSLR
Imaging Score
52
Features Score
59
Value For Money Score
75
Portability Score
79
Overall score
61

Physical Dimensions of Sony A500


Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 weighs 630g and has external dimensions of 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31"). Considering that the average weight of Entry-Level DSLR cameras is 538g, Sony A500 is 92 grams more than the average weight of cameras in this category.

Weight Comparison
Entry-Level DSLR Cameras


Sony A500
630g
Average weight
538g
Min weight
365g
Max weight
690g

Thickness Comparison
Entry-Level DSLR Cameras


Sony A500
84mm
Average Thickness
73mm
Min Thickness
53mm
Max Thickness
86mm

Here is the front and top view image of Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 with the dimensions:

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500

Size Compared to Major Competitors


Model Weight Alpha DSLR-A500 Dimensions Alpha DSLR-A500
Sony SLT-A58 Sony A58 492 g 630 g 129 x 95 x 78 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Nikon D3300 Nikon D3300 430 g 630 g 124 x 98 x 76 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Nikon D3200 Nikon D3200 505 g 630 g 125 x 96 x 77 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Sony SLT-A55 Sony A55 500 g 630 g 124 x 92 x 85 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 Sony A560 599 g 630 g 137 x 104 x 84 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Nikon D5200 Nikon D5200 555 g 630 g 129 x 98 x 78 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100 560 g 630 g 128 x 97 x 79 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Canon EOS 1200D Canon 1200D 480 g 630 g 130 x 100 x 78 mm 137 x 104 x 84 mm

Specifications of Sony Alpha DSLR-A500


General
Brand Sony
Model Alpha DSLR-A500
Announced August, 2009
Body Type Compact SLR
Lens
Lens Mount Sony/Minolta Alpha
Manual Focus
Focal Lens Multiplier 1.5
Number of Lenses 143
Macro Focus Range n/a
Screen
Screen Size 3"
Screen Type Tilting
Screen Resolution 230k pixels
Touch Screen
Live View
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 95%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.53
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9
Number of Cross Focus Points 0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed 1/30 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00
Flash Modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External Flash
AE Bracketing
AE Bracketing Range ±2 EV
WB Bracketing
Sensor
Sensor Size APS-C
Sensor Type CMOS
Sensor Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Sensor Area 366.6 mm²
Sensor Resolution 12 MP
Max Image Resolution 4272 x 2848
Max Native ISO 12800
Min Native ISO 200
Max Boosted ISO 0
Min Boosted ISO 0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution None
Video Formats
Timelapse Recording
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
Connectivity
GPS None
Wireless Connectivity Built-In
Bluetooth
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Battery
Battery Life 520 shots
Battery Type Battery Pack
Battery Model NP-FM500H
Physical
Weight 630 g
Physical Dimensions 137 x 104 x 84 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage Slots 1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly

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