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Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R Comparison

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Nikon P500

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon P500
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Sony A7R

36 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R
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Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon P500, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Sony A7R, which was introduced in February 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 36.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, P500 is 3 years older than A7R. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-02-09
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 494g. 116 x 84 x 103 mm

Sony A7R Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-02-13
  • 36MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 4 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 465g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Nikon P500 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P510. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Sony Alpha A7R

Sony A7R was replaced by Sony Alpha 7R II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7R II vs Sony Alpha A7R
Sony Alpha 7R II vs Nikon Coolpix P500

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P500 and Sony A7R compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Sony Alpha A7R
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R over Nikon Coolpix P500
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
36 MP vs 12 MP 200% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 3.200 700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
25 vs 9 16 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 921k dots 33% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/1500s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
4.0fps vs 1.0fps 3 fps faster
Battery Life
340 shots vs 220 shots 120 more frames with a single charge
Weight
465 g vs 494 g 29 g lighter
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
23.83µm2 vs 2.34µm2 918% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Sony Alpha A7R
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Tilting Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 1.230k dots High resolution screens
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Sony Alpha A7R
Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon P500 and Sony A7R side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P500 has external dimensions of 116 x 84 x 10 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06″) and weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) (including batteries). Sony A7R has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 465 g (1.03 lb / 16.40 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R. Nikon P500 is 11mm narrower and 10mm shorter than Sony A7R but it is also 55mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon P500 has a built-in lens but Sony A7R doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7R, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R.

Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R.
Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7R is 29g lighter than the Nikon P500 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on A7R, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of A7R, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to P500.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P500 and Sony A7R's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Both cameras feature Tilting screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels.
Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R: Sensor Comparison

Nikon P500 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Sony A7R has a 36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Sony A7R's sensor provides 24MP more than Nikon P500's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Sony A7R's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the P500 and A7R sensor size comparison.

Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sony A7R Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R has a 30.7x Larger sensor area than Nikon P500. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon P500 and Sony A7R Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P500 and Sony A7R for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon P500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7R for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 36.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A7R for Street Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7R for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
810 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7R for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT
35.2X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
494g
Body Thickness 103mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
465g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A7R for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 36.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Nikon P500 vs Sony A7R: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon P500 and Sony A7R, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon P500 and Sony A7R scores compare:

Nikon P500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #50 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #556 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Sony A7R
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #33 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #54 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Sony A7R is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon P500 in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Nikon P500
Nikon P500
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Sony A7R
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Sony A7R vs Nikon P500 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix P500 Sony Alpha A7R
Brand Nikon Sony
Announced 2011-02-09 2014-02-13
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch Full frame
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 35.9 x 24 mm
Area 28.07mm2 861.60mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 36 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 7360 x 4912
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
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 25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens Focal Range 23-810 mm (36×) no lens
Max Aperture F3.4-5.7 no lens
Macro Focus Range 1cm no lens
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 921k dots 1,230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution n/a 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.71x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/1500s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 8.00 m no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps 4.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 494g 465g
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 103mm 127 x 94 x 48mm
Battery Life 220 shots 340 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 95
DxO Color Depth not tested 25.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 14.1
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 2746
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