Sony A65 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz 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.
Sony A65's sensor provides 9MP more than Canon 500D'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 A65 and 500D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A65 and Canon 500D Cameras
As seen above, Sony A65 has a 1.1x 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 A65 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, A65 has scored 74, 11 points higher than 500D.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A65
74
23.4 bits
12.6 Evs
717 ISO
Canon 500D
63
21.7 bits
11.5 Evs
663 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 A65
or the
Canon 500D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
