Sony A7S vs Canon 500D Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 500D

15 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7S vs Canon 500D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon 500D, which was introduced in June 2009 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 15.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, 500D is 5 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Canon 500D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-06

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 409600

Sony E Mount

3 Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Canon 500D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-06-08

15MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200 ( expands to 12800)

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

520g. 129 x 98 x 62 mm

Also known as EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3

Replaced Canon EOS 450D Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Canon EOS 500D (EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3)

Canon 500D was replaced by Canon EOS 550D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 550D vs Canon EOS 500D (EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3)
Canon EOS 550D vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Canon 500D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Canon EOS 500D

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected	Better connectivity
LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x vs 0.55x	Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO	409.600 vs 3.200	12700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	25 vs 9	16 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 920k dots	33% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage	100% vs 95%	More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	5.0fps vs 3.0fps	2 fps faster
Weight	489 g vs 520 g	31 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
Color Depth	23.9 vs 21.7	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.2 vs 11.5	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3702 vs 663	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.24µm² vs 22.08µm²	222% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range	±5 EV vs ±2 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 500D over Sony Alpha A7S

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution	15 MP vs 12 MP	25% more pixels
Battery Life	440 shots vs 360 shots	80 more frames with a single charge

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Canon EOS 500D

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Canon EOS 500D

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization

Sony A7S vs Canon 500D: 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 Sony A7S and Canon 500D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Canon 500D has external dimensions of 129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.08 x 3.86 x 2.44″) and weighs 520 g (1.15 lb / 18.34 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 500D. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 2mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 14mm thinner than Canon 500D.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 500D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 500D.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 500D Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 500D.

Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 500D Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is 31g lighter than the Canon 500D but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Canon 500D has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon 500D's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S

500D

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S

500D

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over 500D which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Canon 500D's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Canon 500D has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.

Sony A7S vs Canon 500D: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Canon 500D has a 15.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.

Below you can see the A7S and 500D sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 500D Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 500D. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Canon 500D sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 24 points higher than 500D.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Sony A7S	87	23.9 bits	13.2 Evs	3702 ISO
Canon 500D	63	21.7 bits	11.5 Evs	663 ISO

Sony A7S vs Canon 500D Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 500D has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 326 lenses for Canon 500D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 122 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 30 lenses for Sony E mount and 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7S Lenses	# of Canon 500D Lenses
Standard Zoom	11 (8 Full Frame)	40
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	19
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	37
Wideangle Prime	39 (23 Full Frame)	49
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	58
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	43
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	28
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	7
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	28
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	16
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	1
TOTAL	122 (77 Full Frame)	326

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Canon 500D to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM	24 - 70mm	886gr	1375gr	136mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM	25.5 - 82.5mm	645gr	1165gr	111mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS	70 - 200mm	1480gr	1969gr	200mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM	75 - 225mm	1350gr	1870gr	198mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 50mm F1.4	50mm	778gr	1267gr	108mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM	45mm	435gr	955gr	63mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM	16 - 35mm	680gr	1169gr	122mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM	15 - 30mm	520gr	1040gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS	24 - 105mm	663gr	1152gr	113mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM	22.5 - 127.5mm	575gr	1095gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS	100 - 400mm	1395gr	1884gr	205mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM	100 - 400mm	1590gr	2110gr	193mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Canon 500D Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Canon 500D 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.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Canon 500D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon 500D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon 500D for Sports Photography

GOOD

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: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 500D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
520g
Body Thickness 62mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 500D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Canon 500D: 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 Sony A7S and Canon 500D, 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 Sony A7S and Canon 500D scores compare:

Sony A7S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #38 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Canon 500D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #47 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #345 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon 500D in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Canon 500D vs Sony A7S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha A7S	Canon EOS 500D
Brand	Sony	Canon
Announced	2014-04-06	2009-06-08
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	APS-C
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area	855.62mm²	332.27mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	15 megapixels
Max Resolution	4240 x 2832	4752 x 3168
Max Native Light sensitivity	409,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	12800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 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	25	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony E	Canon EF/EF-S
Number of Available Lenses	122	326
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3	3"
Resolution	1,230k dots	920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x	0.55x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	13.00 m
Max Flash Sync	no built-in flash	1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps	3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC	H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	489g	520g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 48mm	129 x 98 x 62mm
Battery Life	360 shots	440 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording	With Downloadable App
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	87	63
DxO Color Depth	23.9	21.7
DxO Dynamic Range	13.2	11.5
DxO Low Light ISO	3702	663
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