Sony Alpha 3500

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    Highlights

    • 20 MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
    • 100 - 16,000 Native ISO
    • 25 Focus Points
    • 3.0" 230k dot Fixed Screen
    • Electronic Viewfinder
    • 3.5 fps Continuous Shooting
    • 1920 x 1080 Video Shooting
    • 30 min Video Recording Limit
    • Built-in Flash
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    Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

    Overview

    Sony Alpha 3500 was announced in 2014 and is an APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) Mirrorless camera with 20 Megapixel CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 16,000. The camera has a Fixed 3.0" screen with 230k dot resolution and built-in Electronic viewfinder.

    Sony Alpha 3500 can capture video up to 1920 x 1080 resolution.

    Pros and Cons

    In this section we present pros and cons of Sony Alpha 3500.

    PROS

    •   Video Capture
    •   Face Detection
    •   Live View Autofocus
    •   Built-in Flash
    •   HDMI Output
    •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)

    CONS

    •   Timelapse Recording
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
    •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
    •   Low Video Recording Limit
    •   No Microphone Input
    •   No Headphone Output
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
    •   No Built-In Bluetooth
    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

    And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

    AVERAGE

    •   Sensor Resolution - 20 Megapixel
    •   100 Lowest Native ISO
    •   16,000 Highest Native ISO
    •   25 Focus Points
    •   Screen Size - 3.0"
    •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
    •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

    Predecessor

    Here we are comparing Sony Alpha 3500 to its predecessor Alpha 3000 and displaying the major changes.

    UPGRADES Sony Alpha 3500 vs Sony Alpha 3000
    Higher Max Continuous Shooting 3.5 fps vs 2.5 fps
    DOWNGRADES Sony Alpha 3500 vs Sony Alpha 3000
    Lower Sensor Resolution 20 Megapixel vs 20.1 Megapixel

    For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Sony Alpha 3500 vs Alpha 3000.

    Screen and Viewfinder

    Fixed screen

    Sony Alpha 3500 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution which is quite low by today's standards.


    Electronic Viewfinder

    Camera has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.70x (0.47x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

    Sensor

    Sony Alpha 3500 features a 20 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 16,000.


    Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Sony Alpha 3500's APS-C sensor compares with other types of sensors:

    Sensor size chart
    Sensor Dimensions Area Aspect Ratio Crop Factor
    Image cannot be displayedMedium Format44 x 33 mm1452 mm24:30.79x
    Image cannot be displayedFull Frame36 x 24 mm864 mm23:21x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-H27 x 18 mm486 mm23:21.3x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-C23.5 x 15.6 mm366.6 mm23:21.5x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-C (Canon)22.3 x 14.9 mm332.3 mm23:21.6x
    Image cannot be displayedMicro Four Thirds17.4 x 13 mm226.2 mm24:32x
    Image cannot be displayed1-inch13.2 x 8.8 mm116.2 mm23:22.7x
    Image cannot be displayed1/1.7-inch7.44 x 5.58 mm41.5 mm24:34.7x
    Image cannot be displayed1/2.3-inch6.17 x 4.55 mm28.1 mm24:35.6x

    Photography Features

    Camera is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 5456 x 3632 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 3872 x 2576, 2736 x 1824 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.


    Lens Mount

    Sony Alpha 3500 has Sony E lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.


    No In-Body Image Stabilization

    The camera does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) so it needs lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction.

    Check out the cameras which are frequently compared to Sony Alpha 3500.

    Connectivity, Battery and Storage

    USB Input and HDMI Output

    Sony Alpha 3500 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer. There is a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.


    Battery

    Sony Alpha 3500 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 470 shots.

    Other Features

    Shutter

    Sony Alpha 3500's shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 3.5 fps.


    Flash

    Sony Alpha 3500 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4m at ISO100 and also accepts external flash. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec.

    Physical Parameters

    Sony Alpha 3500 has dimensions of 128 x 91 x 85 mm (5.04 x 3.58 x 3.35"). It weighs 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz), so it is a lightweight camera.

    128 mm (5.04")

    91 mm (3.58")

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    91 mm (3.58")

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    85 mm (3.35")

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    Sony Alpha 3500 dimensions

    Sony Alpha 3500 for Different Types of Photography

    We give scores to the camera for different type of photography based on its features and specifications. Let us see how Sony Alpha 3500 is suitable for six different types of photography.


    Landscape Photography

    AVERAGE
    65

    Sony Alpha 3500 gets a score of 65 and is AVERAGE choice for Landscape photography.

    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Environmental Sealing

    Sports Photography

    AVERAGE
    67

    Sony Alpha 3500 gets a score of 67 and is AVERAGE choice for Sports photography.

    •   16,000 Highest Native ISO
    •   25 Focus Points
    •   Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
    •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

    Wildlife Photography

    AVERAGE
    57

    Sony Alpha 3500 gets a score of 57 and is AVERAGE choice for Wildlife photography.

    •   16,000 Highest Native ISO
    •   25 Focus Points
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

    Portrait Photography

    GOOD
    76

    Sony Alpha 3500 gets a score of 76 and is GOOD choice for Portrait photography.

    •   25 Focus Points
    •   Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Screen Size - 3.0"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

    Street Photography

    GOOD
    80

    Sony Alpha 3500 gets a score of 80 and is GOOD choice for Street photography.

    •   25 Focus Points
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)

    Travel Photography

    GOOD
    80

    Sony Alpha 3500 gets a score of 80 and is GOOD choice for Travel photography.

    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
    •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
    •   Low Video Recording Limit
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)
    •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

    Sony Alpha 3500 Evaluation

    We evaluate Sony Alpha 3500 and give score of 59 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.


    OVERALL
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    Sensor

    AVERAGE
    63

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 63 for Sensor parameters.

    •   Sensor Resolution - 20 Megapixel
    •   100 Lowest Native ISO
    •   16,000 Highest Native ISO

    Photo

    AVERAGE
    56

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 56 for Photo parameters.

    •   Timelapse Recording
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
    •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

    Video

    BAD
    16

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 16 for Video parameters.

    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
    •   Low Video Recording Limit

    Focusing

    GOOD
    71

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 71 for Focusing parameters.

    •   25 Focus Points
    •   Face Detection
    •   Live View Autofocus

    Screen and Viewfinder

    AVERAGE
    69

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 69 for Screen and Viewfinder parameters.

    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Screen Size - 3.0"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot

    Connectivity

    AVERAGE
    65

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 65 for Connectivity parameters.

    •   HDMI Output
    •   No Microphone Input
    •   No Headphone Output
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
    •   No Built-In Bluetooth

    Battery, Storage and Physical

    POOR
    43

    We give Sony Alpha 3500 a score of 43 for Battery, Storage and Physical parameters.

    •   No Environmental Sealing
    •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)
    •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots


    For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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