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Sony a5000 vs YI M1

Portability
89
Imaging
62
Features
62
Overall
62
Sony Alpha a5000 front
 
YI M1 front
Portability
87
Imaging
59
Features
66
Overall
61

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Key Specs

Sony a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Released January 2014
  • Older Model is Sony NEX-3N
  • Updated by Sony a5100
YI M1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 350g - 114 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced September 2016
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Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Sony a5000 and YI M1, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Sony and YI. The resolution of the a5000 (20MP) and the M1 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the a5000 (APS-C) and M1 (Four Thirds) feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The a5000 was brought out 3 years prior to the M1 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the a5000 matches up versus the M1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the YI M1

 a5000 M1 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick YI M1 over the Sony a5000

 M1 a5000 
IntroducedSeptember 2016January 2014More recent by 32 months
Screen resolution1040k461kSharper screen (+579k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony a5000 and YI M1

 a5000 M1 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony a5000 offers external measurements of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the YI M1 has dimensions of 114mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 350 grams (0.77 lbs).

Check the Sony a5000 and YI M1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the a5000 and the M1.

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the a5000 and M1 is 89 and 87 respectively.

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 top view buttons comparison

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the a5000 and M1.

As you have seen, both of these cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor measurements. The a5000 contains the bigger sensor which will make achieving shallower depth of field easier. The older a5000 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 sensor size comparison

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a5000 as a Portrait photography camera
YI M1 as a Portrait photography camera
70
focusing manually
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
75
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony a5000 Street photography details
YI M1 Street photography details
78
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
73
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony a5000 Sports photography highlights
YI M1 Sports photography highlights
59
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
good battery (420 per charge)
slow frames per second (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
54
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great battery pack (450 shots)
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony a5000 as a Travel photography camera
YI M1 as a Travel photography camera
78
good battery (420 shots)
good megapixels (20MP)
flash built-in
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
78
great battery pack (450 shots)
connects via bluetooth
includes touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony a5000 as a Landscape photography camera
YI M1 as a Landscape photography camera
77
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good battery (420 per charge)
no image stabilization
76
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (450 shots)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony a5000 Vlogging highlights
YI M1 Vlogging highlights
32
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
no mic socket
33
screen is touchscreen
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
missing external mic socket
Photography Glossary

Sony a5000 vs YI M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a5000 and YI M1
 Sony Alpha a5000YI M1
General Information
Brand Sony YI
Model type Sony Alpha a5000 YI M1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2014-01-07 2016-09-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz X -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 23.2 x 15.4mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 357.3mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5456 x 3632 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 16000 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 25 81
Lens
Lens support Sony E Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 121 107
Crop factor 1.6 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 461 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Red-Eye Slow
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps) 4096 x 2160 @ 30p / 75 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269 grams (0.59 lbs) 350 grams (0.77 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") 114 x 64 x 34mm (4.5" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.0 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1089 not tested
Other
Battery life 420 pictures 450 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $448 $320