Sony A7R vs Sony a5100

On this page, we will be comparing the Sony A7R vs Sony a5100, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the A7R (36MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the A7R (Full frame) and a5100 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor size.

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The A7R was released 6 months earlier than the a5100 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A7R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple overview of how the A7R scores against the a5100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha A7R & Sony Alpha a5100. The complete galleries are available at Sony A7R Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A7R comes with exterior measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") and a weight of 465 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Sony a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Examine the Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the A7R and the a5100.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A7R and a5100 is 78 and 89 respectively.

Normally, its hard to envision the difference in sensor sizes simply by going through technical specs. The pic below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the A7R and a5100.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A7R because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony A7R will show more detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a bit more aggressively.