Sony A500 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Sony A6400 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.
Sony A6400's sensor provides 12MP more than Sony A500'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 A500 and A6400 sensor size comparison.
Sony A500 and Sony A6400 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Sony A500 has 97% larger pixel area compared to Sony A6400, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Sony A500 and Sony A6400 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A6400 has a better overall score of 83, 19 points higher compared to A500's score of 64.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony A500 |
64 |
21.8 bits |
11.6 Evs |
772 ISO |
Sony A6400 |
83 |
24.0 bits |
13.6 Evs |
1431 ISO |