Sony Alpha 7 V vs Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyAlpha 7 V | SonyAlpha DSLR-A500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | December 2025 | September 2009 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Mirrorless | DSLR |
| Sensor format | Full frame | APS-C |
| Sensor type | Partially stacked Exmor RS CMOS | Exmor CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 35.9 × 23.9 mm | 23.5 × 15.6 mm |
| Effective resolution | 33 MP | 12.3 MP |
| Largest image | 7008 × 4672 | 4272 × 2848 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 100–51200 | 200–12800 |
| Sensor detail | Approximately 35.7 million total pixels; partially stacked full-frame sensor with optical low-pass filter. Sony's up-to-16-stop dynamic-range claim applies to stills with the mechanical shutter, not a review measurement. | Approximately 12.9 million total pixels; RGB primary-colour filter, charge protection coating and sensor-shift dust reduction |
| Image formats | JPEG, HEIF and RAW in Sony ARW 6.0 format; single-image effective resolution is 33 MP, distinct from software composite or enlarged output | JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony ARW 2.1 |
| ISO detail | Standard still-image ISO 100–51200; expanded ISO 50–204800. Movie ISO 100–51200, expandable to 102400. | – |
| Image processor | BIONZ XR2 with integrated AI processing functions | BIONZ |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Sony E-mount | Sony A-mount |
| Stabilisation | Sensor shift | Sensor shift |
| Maximum continuous burst | 30 fps | 5 fps |
| Lens detail | – | Sony A-mount; operation confirmed with Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lenses |
| Autofocus | Fast Hybrid AF with up to 759 phase-detection points; recognition for humans, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and aeroplanes, plus automatic subject selection. Maker claims up to 94% frame coverage; AF-S detection down to EV −4 with an F2.0 lens at ISO 100. | TTL phase detection with nine points; single, automatic and continuous AF, manual focus, predictive control and Eye-start AF. Face detection and Smile Shutter are available in Quick AF Live View. |
| Shutter | Electronic shutter 1/16000 second to 30 seconds; mechanical shutter 1/8000 second to 30 seconds plus Bulb; full-frame flash sync 1/250 second | Electronically controlled focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/4000 second plus Bulb; flash sync 1/160 second |
| Burst detail | Hi+ up to 30 fps electronically with AF/AE tracking and 14-bit RAW, or 10 fps mechanically. Electronic Hi+ is blackout-free; speed depends on lens, card, format and shooting conditions. Pre-capture can retain up to one second before full shutter press. Maker maximum-speed buffer figures include 185 Fine JPEG, 95 RAW or 35 lossless-compressed RAW photographs under its test conditions. | Up to 5 fps with optical viewfinder, or 4 fps in live view; approximately 12 Fine JPEG, six RAW or three RAW+JPEG frames, depending on conditions and media. |
| Stabilisation detail | Five-axis sensor shift; maker claims 7.5 stops at the centre and 6.5 at the periphery under CIPA 2024 pitch/yaw/roll conditions with FE 50mm F1.2 GM and long-exposure noise reduction off. Dynamic Active movie mode adds more crop than Active mode. | SteadyShot INSIDE sensor shift; Sony claims approximately 2.5–4 stops, depending on lens and conditions. |
| Flash | – | Automatic pop-up flash; guide number 12 m at ISO 100; ADI and pre-flash TTL; proprietary Alpha flash shoe |
| Exposure controls | – | Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and scene modes; 40-segment honeycomb metering with optical finder, 1,200-zone metering in Quick AF Live View. Auto HDR combines two exposures for JPEG still subjects. |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 3840 × 2160 at 120 fps | – |
| Video detail | Internal 4K up to 120p NTSC or 100p PAL in APS-C/Super 35 mode; full-frame 4K 60p/50p uses 7K oversampling with 4K Angle of View Priority on. XAVC S and XAVC HS support 10-bit 4:2:2; XAVC S-I 4K reaches 60p/50p. No RAW movie output. USB streaming is separate, up to 4K 30p/25p or Full HD 60p/50p. | No movie recording; HDMI supports still-image playback. |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical |
| Screen size | 3.2″ | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 2,095,104 | 230,400 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | No |
| Tilting screen | Yes | Yes |
| Display detail | Four-axis multi-angle TFT; approximately 98° upwards, 40° downwards, 180° sideways and 270° rotation; dots count colour subpixels | Clear Photo LCD Plus tilts 90° up and down. Quick AF Live View uses a dedicated sensor with 90% coverage; Manual Focus Check Live View uses the main sensor with 100% coverage and 7×/14× magnification. |
| Viewfinder detail | 0.5-type OLED; 3,686,400 dots; approximately 0.78× magnification; 60 or 120 fps display | Pentamirror; approximately 95% coverage and 0.80× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity, −1 m⁻¹. |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | – |
| Bluetooth | Yes | – |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 750 photographs | 1000 photographs |
| Body weight | 610 g | 597 g (better) |
| Release detail | Sony Europe's announcement states body availability to purchase from 2 December 2025; Sony Japan specifies 19 December 2025. The Japanese ILCE-7M5M lens kit followed on 10 April 2026 rather than the body's date. | Sony Hong Kong specifies September 2009 availability for the single- and double-lens kits, following the August announcement. The maker source gives no first-sale day. |
| Recording media | Slot 1 accepts CFexpress 2 Type A or UHS-I/II SD; slot 2 accepts UHS-I/II SD | SD, SDHC, Memory Stick PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo; card selection uses a manual switch. |
| Ports | Full-size HDMI Type A; two USB-C ports, port 1 at 10Gbps USB 3.2 and port 2 at 480Mbps USB 2.0; 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets; Multi Interface Shoe with digital audio | USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, mini HDMI Type C, remote release terminal and Alpha accessory shoe |
| Wireless connections | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, including Wi-Fi 6E at 2.4/5/6 GHz where regional rules permit; Bluetooth 5.3; no NFC | – |
| Battery life detail | NP-FZ100; maker CIPA claim approximately 750 photographs using the monitor or 630 using the viewfinder | NP-FM500H; approximately 1,000 shots using optical viewfinder or 520 in live view, under CIPA conditions. |
| Charging | In-camera USB-C charging and power supply; USB Power Delivery supported | – |
| Dimensions | Approximately 130.3 × 96.4 × 82.4 mm maximum; 72.3 mm depth from grip to monitor | Approximately 137 × 104 × 84 mm (width × height × depth), excluding projections. |
| Weight detail | Approximately 610 g body only or 695 g with battery and memory card. Photography Blog's narrative mislabels 695 g as excluding battery/card; TechRadar lists 659 g. Main weight follows Sony's exact body-only specification. | Approximately 597 g body only, excluding battery, memory card and accessories. |
| In the box | NP-FZ100 battery, shoulder strap, body cap, accessory shoe cap and eyepiece cup, according to Sony UK | – |
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