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Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100

Portability
61
Imaging
65
Features
92
Overall
75
Sony Alpha A7S III front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 Key Specs

Sony A7S III
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 80 - 102400 (Raise to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 699g - 129 x 97 x 81mm
  • Revealed July 2020
  • Old Model is Sony A7S 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 A7S III vs Sony a5100 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Sony A7S III and Sony a5100, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are designed by Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the A7S III (12MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the A7S III (Full frame) and a5100 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The A7S III was announced 6 years after the a5100 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A7S III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the A7S III grades vs the a5100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7S III over the Sony a5100

 A7S III a5100 
RevealedJuly 2020August 2014Newer by 73 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1440k922kCrisper screen (+518k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sony A7S III

 a5100 A7S III 

Common features in the Sony A7S III and Sony a5100

 A7S III a5100 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A7S III enjoys outer measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs) whilst the Sony a5100 has dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A7S III and Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the A7S III against the a5100.

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A7S III and a5100 is 61 and 89 respectively.

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions just by reviewing technical specs. The image underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A7S III and a5100.

As you can tell, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The A7S III using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony a5100 will offer extra detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger A7S III is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 sensor size comparison

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A7S III
Portrait photography with Sony a5100
71
focusing manually
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Sony A7S III Street photography features
Sony a5100 Street photography features
76
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
environment proofing
good ISO range (102,400)
82
screen tilts
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
features focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7S III as a Sports photography camera
Sony a5100 as a Sports photography camera
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
good battery power (600 shots)
comes with phase detect AF
resolution not great (12MP)
68
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
great battery power (400 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7S III as a Travel photography camera
Sony a5100 as a Travel photography camera
70
good battery power (600 CIPA)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
screen is selfie friendly
resolution not great (12MP)
80
great battery power (400 per charge)
features focus via touch
megapixel count good (24MP)
flash built-in
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7S III Landscape photography advice
Sony a5100 Landscape photography advice
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
good ISO range (102,400)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
good battery power (600 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
great battery power (400 per charge)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S III Vlogging info
Sony a5100 Vlogging info
77
screen is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external microphone jack
34
touchscreen
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
no external microphone support
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Sony A7S III vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7S III and Sony a5100
 Sony Alpha A7S IIISony Alpha a5100
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7S III Sony Alpha a5100
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2020-07-21 2014-08-17
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz XR Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4240 x 2832 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 102400 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 409600 -
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 759 179
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony E
Amount of lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully articulated Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,440k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 9,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.91x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
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
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 120p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 100p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 699 grams (1.54 pounds) 283 grams (0.62 pounds)
Physical dimensions 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 85 80
DXO Color Depth score 23.6 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 12.7
DXO Low light score 2993 1347
Other
Battery life 600 photographs 400 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 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 feature With downloadable app With downloadable app
Storage type Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 1
Cost at launch $3,499 $448