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Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100

Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59
Sony Alpha a3500 front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Key Specs

Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Introduced March 2014
  • Older Model is Sony A3000
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
  • Launched August 2014
  • Old Model is Sony a5000
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Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and both are created by Sony. The image resolution of the a3500 (20MP) and the a5100 (24MP) is pretty comparable and both cameras posses the identical sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The a3500 was announced 4 months before the a5100 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief view of how the a3500 grades against the a5100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Sony a5100

 a3500 a5100 

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sony a3500

 a5100 a3500 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony a3500 and Sony a5100

 a3500 a5100 
LaunchedMarch 2014August 2014Same age
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony a3500 has exterior measurements of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony a5100 has measurements of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the a3500 compared to the a5100.

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the a3500 and a5100 is 69 and 89 respectively.

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by seeing technical specs. The pic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the a3500 and a5100.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Sony a5100 to show more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively.

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 sensor size comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a3500 Portrait photography highlights
Sony a5100 Portrait photography highlights
77
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
72
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony a3500 Street photography information
Sony a5100 Street photography information
57
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
heavier than others (411 grams)
82
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
includes focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony a3500 Sports photography advice
Sony a5100 Sports photography advice
60
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
better than average battery (470 shots)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
68
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking focus
great battery power (400 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
max fps low (6.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony a3500
Travel photography with Sony a5100
60
better than average battery (470 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
heavier than others (411g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
80
great battery power (400 CIPA)
includes focus by touch
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony a3500 Landscape photography advice
Sony a5100 Landscape photography advice
70
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (470 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse mode
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (400 shots)
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony a3500 Vlogging features
Sony a5100 Vlogging features
26
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
does not have mic support
heavier than others (411g)
34
screen is touchscreen
has face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have microphone jack
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Sony a3500 vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a3500 and Sony a5100
 Sony Alpha a3500Sony Alpha a5100
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha a3500 Sony Alpha a5100
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2014-03-21 2014-08-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ image Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5456 x 3632 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 16000 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 25 179
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Available lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 411 gr (0.91 lbs) 283 gr (0.62 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1347
Other
Battery life 470 photographs 400 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media - SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $398 $448