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Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500

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Sony A7R IV

61 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R IV
$3498.00

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Nikon D500

21 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D500
$1496.95

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Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7R IV, which was introduced in July 2019 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 61.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Nikon D500, which was introduced in January 2016 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 21.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, D500 is 3 years older than A7R IV. 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. Fortunately, you can't go wrong with any of these cameras as we rank them amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Sony A7R IV is ranked #2 out of 41 Pro Mirrorless cameras with an overall score of 98 whereas Nikon D500 is ranked #7 out of 91 Semi-Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 83.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R IV Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2019-07-16
  • 61MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102800)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 5760k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 665g. 129 x 96 x 78 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha A7R III Compare

Nikon D500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-01-05
  • 21MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50-1640000)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 860g. 147 x 115 x 81 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D300s Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R IV over Nikon D500
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Max Sensor Resolution 61 MP vs 21 MP 190% more pixels
Number of Focus Points 567 vs 153 414 more focus points
Weight 665 g vs 860 g 195 g lighter
Shutter Life Expectancy 500000 cycles vs 200000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism
Pixel Shift High Resolution Mode Yes (241.0MP) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Real time Animal Eye AF Tracking Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Reasons to choose Nikon D500 over Sony Alpha A7R IV
Max ISO 51.200 vs 32.000 60% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size 3.2" vs 3 0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution 2.359k dots vs 1.440k dots 63% higher resolution screen
Battery Life 1240 shots vs 670 shots 570 more frames with a single charge
Sensor Pixel Area 17.85µm2 vs 14.15µm2 26% larger pixel area
Top LCD Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Illuminated Buttons Yes vs No Find the buttons easily in dark
Autofocus at f/8 aperture 15 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R IV and Nikon D500
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection Yes vs Yes Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
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
Max Resolution 61 MP vs 21 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size 3 vs 3.2" Large display
LCD Screen Resolution 1.440k dots vs 2.359k dots Higher resolution screens
Continuous Shooting 10.0fps vs 10.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection Yes vs Yes Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Shutter Life Expectancy 500000 cycles vs 200000 cycles High Shutter Rating
Dual-axis Electronic Level Yes vs Yes Level the camera easily in two axis
Storage Slot 2 vs 2 Extra Storage Slot
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-II vs UHS-II Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R IV and Nikon D500
Built-in Flash No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500: 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 A7R IV and Nikon D500 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500. Sony A7R IV is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 18mm narrower, 19mm shorter and 3mm thinner than Nikon D500.

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500.

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500 Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500.
Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7R IV is significantly lighter (195g ) than the Nikon D500 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 A7R IV has a Full frame sensor and Nikon D500 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Nikon D500's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7R IV lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R IV
D500
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R IV
D500
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7R IV and D500 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D500's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sony A7R IV's 3 screen.

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R IV has a 61.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Nikon D500 has a 21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.

Sony A7R IV's sensor provides 40MP more than Nikon D500'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.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Nikon D500 and Sony A7R IV sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 A7R IV and D500 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Sony A7R IV has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon D500. 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 Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R IV and Nikon D500 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 A7R IV for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 61.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7R IV for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D500 for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7R IV for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D500 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
567 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 670 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
99 Cross Type Focus sensors
153 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1240 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7R IV for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D500 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
665g
Body Thickness 78mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
860g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Sony A7R IV for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Nikon D500 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 61.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Nikon D500 vs Sony A7R IV 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 Nikon D500 has an advantage over Sony A7R IV There are 304 lenses for Nikon D500's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 115 lenses for Sony A7R IV's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7R IV has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D500 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 101 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7R IV Lenses # of Nikon D500 Lenses
Standard Zoom 10 (7 Full Frame) 33
Standard Prime 17 (8 Full Frame) 20
Wideangle Zoom 6 (5 Full Frame) 33
Wideangle Prime 37 (22 Full Frame) 47
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 53
Telephoto Prime 16 (12 Full Frame) 43
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 8
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 25
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 115 (71 Full Frame) 304
Sony A7R IV vs Nikon D500: 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 A7R IV and Nikon D500, 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 A7R IV and Nikon D500 scores compare:

Sony A7R IV
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 68 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #2 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Nikon D500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #9 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #26 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Sony A7R IV has a higher Overall Score but this doesn't make it an easy decision. Sony A7R IV may have better image quality, more features and smaller body compared to but Nikon D500 offers higher value for the money.

If you are a price conscious buyer and don't need the extra features, image quality and compactness that Sony A7R IV offers, Nikon D500 is the better choice for you.
In all other cases, we recommend the Sony A7R IV!

Sony A7R IV
Sony A7R IV
$3498.00

Nikon D500
Nikon D500
$1496.95

Nikon D500 vs Sony A7R IV Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R IV Nikon D500
Brand Sony Nikon
Announced 2019-07-16 2016-01-05
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.8 mm 23.5 x 15.7 mm
Area 852.04mm2 368.95mm2
Megapixels 61 megapixels 21 megapixels
Max Resolution 9504 x 6336 5568 x 3712
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102800 ISO 1640000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 ISO 50 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 567 153
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 115 304
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3 3.2"
Resolution 1,440k dots 2,359k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 5,760k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78 0.66
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync 1/250s 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 665g 860g
Dimensions 129 x 96 x 78mm 147 x 115 x 81mm
Battery Life 670 shots 1240 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 84
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.1
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 14.0
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1324
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