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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100

Portability
57
Imaging
56
Features
45
Overall
51
Sigma SD1 Merrill front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Key Specs

Sigma SD1 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • 790g - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Launched April 2012
  • Superseded the Sigma SD1
Sony a5100
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony a5000
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Overview

Here is a extensive review of the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony a5100, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Sigma and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the SD1 Merrill (15MP) and a5100 (24MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The SD1 Merrill was released 3 years before the a5100 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief view of how the SD1 Merrill matches up versus the a5100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 Merrill over the Sony a5100

 SD1 Merrill a5100 

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sigma SD1 Merrill

 a5100 SD1 Merrill 
RevealedAugust 2014April 2012Fresher by 28 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony a5100

 SD1 Merrill a5100 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Sigma SD1 Merrill has outer measurements of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs) whilst the Sony a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Check out the Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony a5100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the SD1 Merrill and the a5100.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the SD1 Merrill and a5100 is 57 and 89 respectively.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing just by reading a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SD1 Merrill and a5100.

As you can see, the 2 cameras come with the identical sensor size but different MP. You can anticipate the Sony a5100 to offer you more detail as a result of its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older SD1 Merrill is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 sensor size comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Portrait photography factors
Sony a5100 Portrait photography factors
65
manual focus
resolution is good (15MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
72
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Street photography information
Sony a5100 Street photography information
57
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
82
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sigma SD1 Merrill Sports photography info
Sony a5100 Sports photography info
61
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
68
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
better than average battery power (400 shots)
has phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Travel photography with Sony a5100
54
environment proofing
resolution is good (15MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
80
better than average battery power (400 shots)
has focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
has built in flash
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Landscape photography with Sony a5100
63
manual focus
switch lenses (Sigma SA mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (400 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sigma SD1 Merrill
Vlogging with Sony a5100
9
can't shoot video
34
touchscreen
has face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have microphone support
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Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sigma SD1 Merrill and Sony a5100
 Sigma SD1 MerrillSony Alpha a5100
General Information
Brand Sigma Sony
Model Sigma SD1 Merrill Sony Alpha a5100
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2012-04-10 2014-08-17
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Dual True II Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS (Foveon X3) CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 24 x 16mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 384.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 15 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4800 x 3200 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 179
Lens
Lens mounting type Sigma SA Sony E
Available lenses 76 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 96 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed - 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed - 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes no built-in flash Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 790 gr (1.74 pounds) 283 gr (0.62 pounds)
Physical dimensions 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1347
Other
Battery life - 400 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $2,339 $448