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 A65 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Sony A65'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 A65 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A500 and Sony A65 Cameras
Sony A500 and Sony A65 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 A65, 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 A65 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A65 has a better overall score of 74, 10 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 A65
74
23.4 bits
12.6 Evs
717 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Sony A500
or the
Sony A65 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
