Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 vs Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 was introduced in August 2009 and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS was introduced in January 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 over Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot SX50 HS over Sony Alpha DSLR-A500.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 230k dot resolution and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a 2.80" Fully Articulated screen with 461k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Fully articulated screen makes Canon PowerShot SX50 HS selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinderCanon PowerShot SX50 HS has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 202k dot resolution. Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 has 95% coverage with 0.80x (0.53x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has 100% coverage magnification.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 features a 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 6,400.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 4272 x 2848 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4272 x 2400, 3104 x 2072, 3104 x 1744, 2128 x 1416, 2188 x 1192 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS is equipped with DIGIC 5 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 4000 x 2248, 4000 x 2664, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1200 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization. On Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Bluetooth on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 has an HDMI and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 comes with NP-FM500H battery pack with battery life of 520 shots and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS comes with NB-10L battery pack with battery life of 315 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 has a single SD/SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha DSLR-A500, and up to 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS can shoot continuously up to 2.2 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m on Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and 5.50 m on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount to Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 and 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 body has dimensions of 137 x 104 x 84 mm (5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31") and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS body has dimensions of 123 x 87 x 106 mm (4.84 x 3.43 x 4.17"). Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 weighs 630 g (1.39 lb / 22.22 oz) and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS weighs 595 g (1.31 lb / 20.99 oz).

Sony Alpha DSLR-A500

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

137 mm

104 mm

123 mm

87 mm

104 mm

87 mm