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 Sony a3500 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). Sony a3500 has external dimensions of 128 x 91 x 85 mm (5.04 x 3.58 x 3.35″) and weighs 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Sony a3500. Sony A7S is 1mm narrower and 37mm thinner than Sony a3500 but it is also 3mm taller.
![Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony a3500 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Sony a3500.
![Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony a3500 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony a3500 is significantly lighter (78g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
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 Sony a3500 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Sony a3500's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.
Weight Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Thickness Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Weather Sealing
With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over a3500 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S and Sony a3500'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 Sony a3500 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
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, Sony a3500 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features BIONZ image processor processor.
Sony a3500's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A7S'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.
Below you can see the A7S and a3500 sensor size comparison.
![Sony A7S vs Sony a3500 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony a3500 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony a3500. 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.
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Both Sony A7S and Sony a3500 have 128 native lenses available but be careful that since Sony A7S has a full frame sensor, only 81 of these lenses can cover the full frame sensor of A7S.
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 31 lenses with Image stabilization for Sony E mount.
| Lens Type |
# of Sony A7S Lenses |
# of Sony a3500 Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
12 (9 Full Frame) |
12 |
| Standard Prime |
18 (9 Full Frame) |
18 |
| Wideangle Zoom |
7 (6 Full Frame) |
7 |
| Wideangle Prime |
42 (26 Full Frame) |
42 |
| Telephoto Zoom |
9 (7 Full Frame) |
9 |
| Telephoto Prime |
18 (14 Full Frame) |
18 |
| SuperZoom |
8 (1 Full Frame) |
8 |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
2 (0 Full Frame) |
2 |
| Macro Prime |
8 (7 Full Frame) |
8 |
| Perspective Control Prime |
2 (2 Full Frame) |
2 |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
| TOTAL |
128 (81 Full Frame) |
128 |
Here are some of the most popular Sony E Mount Lenses on Camera Decision:
Popular Sony E Mount Lenses for A7S and a3500
Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Sony a3500 to see how these lenses compares:
Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Sony a3500 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
Sony a3500 for Portrait Photography
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Sony a3500 for Street Photography
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Sony a3500 for Sports Photography
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Sony a3500 for Daily Photography
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
411g
Body Thickness 85mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Sony a3500 for Landscape Photography
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
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 Sony a3500, 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 Sony a3500 scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony a3500
Ranked
#78 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#339 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sony a3500 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Sony Alpha a3500 |
| Brand |
Sony |
Sony |
| Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2014-03-21 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
Full frame |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
23.5 x 15.6 mm |
| Area |
855.62mm2 |
366.60mm2 |
| Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
20 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
5456 x 3632 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
16,000 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 |
25 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Sony E |
Sony E |
| Number of Available Lenses |
128 |
128 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Tilting |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3 |
3" |
| Resolution |
1,230k dots |
230k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
n/a |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.71x |
0.47x |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000s |
1/4000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
Optical |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
160s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
4.0 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 |
AVCHD, H.264 |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
489g |
411g |
| Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
128 x 91 x 85mm |
| Battery Life |
360 shots |
470 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
With Downloadable App |
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
87 |
not tested |
| DxO Color Depth |
23.9 |
not tested |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
13.2 |
not tested |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
3702 |
not tested |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |