Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P43 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyCyber-shot DSC-P43 | SonyCyber-shot DSC-WX500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 2004 | 2015 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor format | 1/2.7-type | 1/2.3-type |
| Sensor type | Super HAD CCD | Exmor R CMOS |
| Effective resolution | 4.1 MP | 18.2 MP |
| Largest image | 2304 × 1728 | 4896 × 3672 |
| RAW recording | No | No |
| Standard ISO range | 100–400 | 80–3200 |
| Sensor detail | 1/2.7-type Super HAD CCD. Sony Ireland specification rounds effective resolution to 4.1 MP; exact DSC-P41/P43 manual gives 4,065,000 effective and 4,231,000 total photosites. Optical format is not a physical sensor dimension | 1/2.3-type back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS; approximately 18.2 million effective and 21.1 million total photosites. Optical format is not physical dimensions |
| Image formats | JPEG (Exif 2.2) still images and MPEG-1 mono movies; no RAW. Exact manual and Japan launch table specify 2304×1728 maximum; Ireland specification incorrectly labels the 4M row 2272×1704 | JPEG with Fine or Standard compression; maximum 4896 × 3672 in 4:3, 4896 × 3264 in 3:2, 4896 × 2752 in 16:9 or 3664 × 3664 in 1:1. Sweep Panorama standard, wide or 360-degree up to 11520 × 1080 |
| ISO detail | Auto or ISO 100, 200 and 400 | Single-exposure settings ISO 80–3200, Auto ISO 80–3200. Multi Frame NR extends to ISO 6400/12800 through processed overlaid burst exposures |
| Image processor | Real Imaging Processor on exact Japan product feature page; 14-bit DXP, Clear Luminance NR and Clear Colour NR in Ireland specification | BIONZ X |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Built-in lens | 33 mm equivalent | 24–720 mm equivalent |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 | f/3.5–6.4 |
| Optical zoom | 1× | 30× |
| Stabilisation | – | Optical lens stabilisation |
| Lens detail | Fixed physical 5 mm F2.8 lens, equivalent to 33 mm; no optical zoom. Autofocus from 10 cm to infinity. Precision Digital Zoom up to 3× and Smart Zoom up to 3.6× at VGA are electronic crops/enlargements, not optical magnification. No conversion-lens compatibility or filter diameter in maker specification | ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* thirty-times optical zoom, eleven elements in ten groups including five aspherical elements; five-blade iris, actual 4.1–123 mm. Equivalent 24–720 mm in 4:3, 25–750 mm in 3:2, 26.5–795 mm in 16:9 or 27.5–825 mm in 1:1. Movie 16:9 Standard 26.5–795 mm, Active 28–1180 mm, Intelligent Active 31–1210 mm; 4:3 Standard 32.5–975 mm, Active 34.5–1450 mm, Intelligent Active 38–1480 mm |
| Autofocus | Five-area multi-point or centre autofocus, Single or Monitor AF and AF-assist illuminator. Focus presets 0.5, 1, 3, 7 m and infinity; not continuous manual focusing | Contrast-detection AF-S; AF-C only in Advanced Sports and movie modes. Nine-point Wide, centre, Flexible Spot S/M/L and Expand Flexible Spot, with Lock-on AF; approximately 5 cm minimum focus wide or 250 cm telephoto |
| Shutter | Auto 1/8–1/1000 second in maker Ireland specification; NR Slow Shutter. No manual shutter setting | Intelligent Auto 4–1/2000 second; Program Auto 1–1/2000 second; aperture priority 8–1/2000 second; shutter priority and manual 30–1/2000 second |
| Burst detail | Maker Ireland specification gives approximately 0.9-second interval and four-shot limited burst; no unrestricted continuous rate established. Multi Burst stores sixteen subframes in one composite, not sixteen full-resolution stills | Maximum approximately 10 fps at full resolution for ten frames; this is a brief buffered burst rather than sustained continuous shooting. Some modes prevent burst shooting, and flash reduces its speed |
| Stabilisation detail | – | Optical SteadyShot for photographs. Intelligent Active movie mode combines optical and electronic compensation, including rotation correction; Sony’s five-axis launch claim applies to movies and includes electronic correction |
| Flash | Built-in Auto, forced, slow-sync and off with red-eye reduction. ISO Auto range 0.2–3.5 m in exact manual. No hot or accessory shoe | Built-in manually raised pop-up flash, Auto, forced, slow-sync, rear-sync or off; ISO Auto range approximately 0.3–5.4 m wide or 2.5–3 m telephoto |
| Exposure controls | Auto and Program with ±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps, multi-pattern or spot metering. Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach and Candle scenes. No manual aperture/shutter, aperture-priority or histogram in maker specification | Intelligent Auto, Superior Auto, Program Auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, Memory Recall 1/2/3, scenes, panorama and automatic/scene movie modes. ±3 EV in 1/3 EV steps; wide-angle F3.5–F8 in aperture priority or manual. Thirteen still-image Picture Effects |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 640 × 480 at 30 fps | 1920 × 1080 at 60 fps |
| Video detail | MPEG VX Fine 640×480 at 30 fps requires Memory Stick PRO. Japan launch also lists standard VGA approximately 16.6 fps and 160×112 Video Mail approximately 8.3 fps. Mono audio; manual says no zoom during movie recording | Maximum 1920 × 1080 progressive at 60p NTSC or 50p PAL. XAVC S up to 50 Mbps; AVCHD up to 28 Mbps and MP4 up to 28 Mbps. Japan also lists 1080p30/p24 XAVC S, interlaced AVCHD and 720p30 MP4; regional frame rates differ and PAL/NTSC can be switched. XAVC S requires a Class 10 or faster SDXC card. Approximately 29-minute clip limit; MP4 28M reaches its 4 GB limit in approximately 20 minutes. Optical zoom works during recording; 4K output is still photographs only |
| Audio | – | Built-in stereo microphone and mono speaker; XAVC S LPCM two-channel, AVCHD Dolby Digital two-channel or MP4 AAC-LC two-channel audio |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical | None |
| Screen size | 1.5″ | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 67,000 | 921,600 |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Tilting screen | No | Yes |
| Display detail | Fixed 1.5-inch TFT LCD, 100% coverage. Maker specification rounded 67,000 dots; exact manual gives 67,200 (280×240). Screen dots are not image pixels | 3.0-type Xtra Fine TFT LCD with 921600 dots, manual five-step brightness; tilts upward approximately 180 degrees for self-portraits. No touchscreen or viewfinder |
| Viewfinder detail | Optical finder separate from LCD | – |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | – | Yes |
| Bluetooth | No | – |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 400 photographs | 400 photographs |
| Body weight | 134 g (better) | 209 g |
| Release detail | Sony Japan April 14 announcement planned May 28 2004 sale, also listed by Kakaku; retrospective exact model coverage corroborates actual 2004 release. Worldwide first actual retail month not established, year precision retained. P43 is not a cosmetic P41 alias: exact manual distinguishes A/V output and supplied battery/charger hardware. No maker predecessor link established | Released in 2015. Sony’s 7 May Hong Kong announcement scheduled mid-June launch after a pre-order period; the prospective date does not establish the actual first on-sale day or month |
| Recording media | Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO; Duo forms require appropriate adaptor. Supplied 16 MB Memory Stick | SD, SDHC and SDXC with UHS-I support, microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC with adapters, Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo and Memory Stick Micro with an adapter |
| Ports | Mini-B USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, PTP/PictBridge, mono A/V output and DC input for optional AC-LS5 adaptor. Shared manual explicitly assigns A/V output to P43 only, not P41; no accessory terminal | Multi/micro-USB terminal with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed; micro-HDMI output |
| Wireless connections | – | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and NFC Forum Type 3 Tag for one-touch pairing; smartphone transfer/remote control, TV viewing and computer transfer with compatible software. PlayMemories Camera Apps support and Eye-Fi; no GPS |
| Battery life detail | Two supplied NH-AA-DA Ni-MH AA cells; alkaline AA also supported. Approximately 400 shots / 200 minutes CIPA with LCD on and fully charged supplied Ni-MH cells at 25°C, Fine/Single AF, one shot every 30 seconds, flash every second image and power restart every ten. Manual 9,400 images / 470 minutes is playback, not shooting | Supplied NP-BX1; approximately 400 photographs or 200 minutes under CIPA conditions, approximately 75 minutes actual movie use or 110 minutes continuous movie use, distinct from per-clip limits |
| Charging | Supplied external BC-CS2A/CS2B-series Ni-MH charger, approximately six hours for fully depleted supplied cells at 25°C; not USB or in-camera charging. Optional quick-charge kit times are separate | In-camera USB charging and external USB power with supplied AC adapter and battery fitted |
| Dimensions | 101.2×53.7×35.6 mm width×height×depth, protruding parts excluded in manual | 101.6 × 58.1 × 35.5 mm (width × height × depth), CIPA compliant |
| Weight detail | 134 g camera only in maker specification and Japan feature page; approximately 195 g loaded with batteries, Memory Stick and wrist strap in manual | Approximately 209 g body-only; approximately 236 g including NP-BX1 and Memory Stick Duo |
| Colours | – | Black, white or red; regional choices differ |
| In the box | Two rechargeable AA cells, battery case, external BC-CS2-series charger, mains lead, USB and A/V cables, 16 MB Memory Stick, wrist strap and software CD. Shared manual distinguishes P43 rechargeable bundle/A/V from P41 alkaline bundle | NP-BX1, AC-UB10C/UB10D, micro-USB cable, wrist strap and instructions; regional contents differ |
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