Sony A390 vs Sony a5100

Lets look closer at the Sony A390 vs Sony a5100, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both offered by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the A390 (14MP) and a5100 (24MP) but both cameras have the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The A390 was manufactured 5 years before the a5100 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the A390 grades versus the a5100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 & Sony Alpha a5100. The entire galleries are provided at Sony A390 Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony A390 provides exterior dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) while 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).

Check the Sony A390 vs Sony a5100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the A390 compared to the a5100.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the A390 and a5100 is 66 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A390 and a5100.

As you can see, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Sony a5100 to result in extra detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older A390 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.