What is the pixel pitch of the Sony A6500?

The Sony Alpha A6500 provides 24 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 3.91µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Sony A6500 measures 23.5mm in width and 15.6mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 367 mm². Moreover, the A6500 has 6 000 horizontal pixels and 4 000 vertical pixels, for a total of 24 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (367 mm²) to the MP count (24 000 000).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Sony A6500 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
2.		Olympus PEN-F	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	23.1	12.4	894	74
3.		Panasonic GX8	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.5	12.6	806	75
4.		Sony A6700	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/120p	24.3	14.0	2329	86
5.		Sony A6600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.8	13.4	1497	82
6.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
7.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
8.		Sony RX10 III	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	23.1	12.6	472	70
9.		Sony RX10 II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	23.0	12.6	531	70
10.		Sony A7	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	14.2	2248	90
11.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Further information on the sensor in the Sony A6500 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the A6500 was initially launched in October 2016 at a price of $1,399.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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