Sony A500 Review

4.5

February 15, 2010 | Mark Goldstein |

Lowest Price: N/A

Lowest Price: $915.47

Specifications

Lens Mount

Sony α mount	YES
Compatibility with A-Mount bayonet lenses from Minolta and Konica Minolta	YES

Lens Compatibility

All types of Sony α lenses	YES
Minolta & Konica Minolta α/MAXXUM/DYNAX lenses	YES

Image Sensory

Camera

Total sensor Pixels (megapixels)	Approx. 12.9
Effective Pixels (megapixels)	Approx. 12.3
Automatic White Balance	YES
White balance: preset selection	Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash
White balance: custom setting	YES
White balance: types of color temperature	2500 - 9900 k with 19-step Magenta / Green compensation
White balance bracketing	3 frames, Selectable 2 steps
ISO Sensitivity Setting	ISO200 - 12800 equivalent

SteadyShot INSIDE

System: Sensor-shift mechanism	YES
SteadyShot INSIDE scale (in viewfinder)	YES
Camera-Shake warning (in viewfinder)	YES
SteadyShot INSIDE capability	Approx. 2.5 EV - 4 EV decrease in shutter speed (varies according to shooting conditions and lens used)
SteadyShot INSIDE compatibility	All Sony DSLR lenses and A-Mount bayonet lenses from Minolta and Konica Minolta
*SteadyShot INSIDE was previously known as Super SteadyShot

Anti-Dust

Double anti dust system (anti-static coating and CCD shift mechanism)

YES

Auto Focus System

TTL phase-detection system	YES
Sensor	9 points with centre cross sensor
Sensitivity Range (at ISO 100 equivalent); EV	0 - 18
Eye Start AF System (on off selectable)	YES
AF Area: Wide focus area	YES (auto with 9 areas)
AF Area: Spot	YES (center cross sensor)
AF Area: Local focus area selection	YES (9 local areas)
AF Modes	Continuous, Single Shot, Automatic, Manual Focus
Predictive Focus Control	YES (with moving subjects in AF-A and AF-C)
Focus Lock	YES (with Shutter button or AF button)
AF Illuminator	YES (with built-in flash)
AF Illuminator range (meters)	Approx. 1-5

Auto Exposure System

Light metering type	TTL
Light metering cell	40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC
Light metering: Multi segment	YES
Light metering: Spot	YES
Light metering: Center weighted	YES
Exposure: Automatic	YES
Exposure: Program Auto	YES
Exposure: Shutter priority	YES
Exposure: Aperture priority	YES
Exposure: Manual	YES
Exposure: Scene selection	YES
AE Lock	YES
Exposure compensation	YES (+/-2.0 EV, 0.3 EV step)
AE Bracketing	With 0.3 EV / 0.7 EV increments, 3 frames

Shutter

Type	Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter Speed Range (seconds)	1/4000 - 30 and bulb
Flash Sync Speed (With Super Steady Shoot Off); second	1/160
Flash Sync Speed (With Super Steady Shoot On); second	1/160

Flash

Built-in-Flash Guide Number (in meters at ISO 100)	12
Flash Metering System	ADI / Pre-flash TTL flash metering
Flash Compensation	+/-2.0 EV (0.3EV steps)
Built-in-Flash Recycling Time (approx. time in seconds)	4
Flash Mode	Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync. High Speed sync. with optional compatible accessory flash
Wireless flash mode	YES (with optional compatible accessory flash)
Slow Synchronization	YES
Red-Eye Reduction	YES
Flash Popup	Auto
Automatic Flash	YES (with AUTO and Scene selection mode)

Viewfinder

Type	Fixed eye-level, penta-Dach-mirror
Focusing Screen	Spherical Acute Matte
Field of View (%)	95
Magnification (with 50mm lens at infinity)	0.80x
Eye Relief	Approx.19mm from the eyepiece lens
Diopter Adjustment	-2.5 to +1.0 diopter

Live View

Type	YES - Quick AF and Manual Focus Check Live View
Other	Smart Tele Converter / Face detection / Smile shutter *with Quick AF LV mode

LCD screen

Recording

Drive Mode	Single, Continuous, 10 seconds and 2 seconds Self-timer, Continuous-advance AE bracketing, White Balance Bracketing, Remote commander
Continuous-Advance Rate (approx. frames per second at maximum)	Max.5 fps with viewfinder, max. 4 fps in live view mode (approx.)
Number of Continuous Advance	JPEG (L size, Fine): 12 images, RAW: 6 images, RAW+JPEG: 3 images
Recording Media	Memory Stick PRO Duo™, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™, SD memory card, SDHC memory card
Recording Format	JPEG (DCF Ver.2.0?Exif Ver.2.21, MPF Baseline) compliant, DPOF compatible, RAW (Sony ARW 2.1 format), RAW + JPEG
RAW (pixels)	4272 x 2848
Image Size L - JPEG (pixels)	4272 x 2848 (12M)
Image Size M (pixels)	3104 x 2072 (6.4M)
Image Size S (pixels)	2128 x 1416 (3M)
Still Image quality	RAW, RAW+JPEG, Fine, Standard
Noise Reduction (Long exp.NR)	On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 second
Noise Reduction (High ISO NR)	On/Off, available at the ISO set to 1600 or above
Delete Function	Single, multiple, or all frames in a folder
Color Space (sRGB)	YES
Color Space (Adobe RGB)	YES
Color mode/DEC/Creative styles	Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W
Dynamic Range Optimizer	Off, Auto, Advanced: Level
Date/Time Print	With PictBridge

Playback/Edit

Information Display	YES
White/Black Out Alert	YES
Index Playback	YES (9, 4)
Enlarge (Maximum magnification)	L size: 13.4x, M size: 10.1x, S size: 6.7x
Image Rotation	YES
Auto Image Rotation	YES

General

Battery Remaining Indicator	YES
InfoLITHIUM Battery Indicator	YES (in %)
Histogram Indicator	YES
Exif	2.21
Exif Print	YES
PictBridge	YES
Menu Language	English / French / German / Spanish / Italian / Portuguese / Dutch / Russian / Swedish / Danish / Norwegian / Finish / Polish / Czech / Hungarian
Zone Matching	NO
Depth-of-Field Preview	NO
PRINT Image Matching III	YES
Remote Release Terminal	YES
IR Remote Control	YES (with RMT-DSLR1)
DPOF(Digital Print Order Format)	YES
Indicator of remaining memory space (CF)	YES
Beep Sound	On/Off selectable
File Number Memory	On/Off selectable
Folder Name Mode	Standard and Date
Operating Temperature (degrees C)	0 - 40

Jacks

Video Out	NO
HD/HDMI™ Out	HDMI™ mini connector (Type C), BRAVIA Sync (Sync menu), PhotoTV HD
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed	YES
USB Mode	Mass Storage (PC connection) / PTP(PictBridge)

Power/Others

Battery System	NP-FM500H
Supplied Battery	NP-FM500H
Stamina (battery life in CIPA condition)	Approx. 1000 images with viewfinder, approx. 520 images in live view mode
Weight (g)	Approx. 597