Sony Nex 5 versus Sony Alpha A500, which takes better pics in simple shoot modes?

I like taking photographs of people and street life around Egypt and especially the Red sea and mountain shots. However, I'm not a professional. I have bought the NEX 5 but not used it once yet. However my friend has just returned from a Middle East holiday and used the Sony A500 and her pictures are stunning, also she has never used a digital camera before and she said she never adjusted the lens but just point and shoot. Does anyone own both these cameras or have knowledge to tell me if the Sony A500 picture quality any different to shots taken with a NEX 5 dual lens camera.
I want to have the perfect camera for my next trip as at present I take loads of different cameras and security at Egypt look at me as though I'm daft as I put the cameras on the belt at the Airport. I own IXUS 960, IXUS 1000, Sony W380, NIKON d200, Nex 5, Sony P200, Olympus E410 (nice) and Canon G9, but I find changing settings complicated so I want to take just 1 camera to captivate the beauty of Egypt and be a memory of my holidays. Again, I repeat, I'm thinking of buying Sony A500. Any respectable opinions appreciated

It isn't necessarily the camera, but the lens and the skills of the photographer…

the A500 isn't a great camera, but okay…

i use the A200…

perhaps you should look at practicing your skills before you waste money on a new camera…

Please do not buy another camera, instead invest that money in having some lessons. You already have a Nikon D200, sure the resolution is lower than Sony's A500, but just adding more pixels is not going to improve your technique.

If you aren't going to change settings and only use green box full auto, the NEX would be the better choice.