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Sony A7R vs Sony a5100

Portability
78
Imaging
74
Features
76
Overall
74
Sony Alpha A7R front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Key Specs

Sony A7R
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 465g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Announced February 2014
  • Replacement is Sony A7R II
Sony a5100
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Replaced the Sony a5000
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Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Overview

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.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A7R over the Sony a5100

 A7R a5100 
Screen resolution1230k922kCrisper screen (+308k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sony A7R

 a5100 A7R 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A7R and Sony a5100

 A7R a5100 
RevealedFebruary 2014August 2014Same age
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 size comparison

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

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R Portrait photography information
Sony a5100 Portrait photography information
84
you can focus manually
excellent sensor resolution (36MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
good resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A7R as a Street photography camera
Sony a5100 as a Street photography camera
80
screen tilts up and down
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
lighter than competitors in class (465 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
82
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
features touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7R Sports photography information
Sony a5100 Sports photography information
62
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
excellent sensor resolution (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
weather proofing
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery (340 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
68
good resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
great battery power (400 CIPA)
supports phase detect AF
slow frames per second (6.0 fps)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7R Travel photography features
Sony a5100 Travel photography features
70
lighter than competitors in class (465g)
weather proofing
excellent sensor resolution (36MP)
not so great battery (340 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
80
great battery power (400 CIPA)
features touch focus
good resolution (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R Landscape photography factors
Sony a5100 Landscape photography factors
78
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
excellent sensor resolution (36MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery (340 shots)
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
good resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (400 per charge)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7R Vlogging features
Sony a5100 Vlogging features
36
has face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
lighter than competitors in class (465 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
34
touchscreen enabled
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
no external microphone jack
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Sony A7R vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R and Sony a5100
 Sony Alpha A7RSony Alpha a5100
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7R Sony Alpha a5100
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2014-02-13 2014-08-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 36 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 7360 x 4912 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 25 179
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Number of lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,230k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options no built-in flash Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 465 gr (1.03 lb) 283 gr (0.62 lb)
Physical dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 95 80
DXO Color Depth rating 25.6 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.1 12.7
DXO Low light rating 2746 1347
Other
Battery life 340 photographs 400 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,898 $448