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Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100

Portability
89
Imaging
66
Features
74
Overall
69
Sony Alpha a5100 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Key Specs

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
  • Succeeded the Sony a5000
Sony S2100
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-105mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 61 x 27mm
  • Announced January 2010
Photography Glossary

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Overview

Following is a in depth comparison of the Sony a5100 and Sony S2100, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the a5100 (24MP) and S2100 (12MP) and the a5100 (APS-C) and S2100 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The a5100 was revealed 4 years after the S2100 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S2100 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a short highlight of how the a5100 scores against the S2100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Sony S2100

 a5100 S2100 
AnnouncedAugust 2014January 2010More modern by 57 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony S2100 over the Sony a5100

 S2100 a5100 

Common features in the Sony a5100 and Sony S2100

 a5100 S2100 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Sony a5100 enjoys exterior dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs) whilst the Sony S2100 has specifications of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Sony a5100 and Sony S2100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the a5100 versus the S2100.

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the a5100 and S2100 is 89 and 93 respectively.

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 top view buttons comparison

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes only by viewing specifications. The pic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the a5100 and S2100.

To sum up, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The a5100 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony a5100 will result in more detail because of its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The newer a5100 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 sensor size comparison

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a5100 Portrait photography advice
Sony S2100 Portrait photography advice
72
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
can't use external flash
21
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony a5100 Street photography details
Sony S2100 Street photography details
82
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
features touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
46
no moving screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony a5100 Sports photography advice
Sony S2100 Sports photography advice
68
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
good battery (400 CIPA)
supports phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
17
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,200s)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony a5100 Travel photography highlights
Sony S2100 Travel photography highlights
80
good battery (400 per charge)
features touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
has built in flash
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
50
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony a5100 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony S2100 as a Landscape photography camera
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
good battery (400 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
27
screen size is good (3 inch)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual mode
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony a5100
Vlogging with Sony S2100
34
touchscreen functionality
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
does not have external mic jack
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
no microphone jack
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Sony a5100 vs Sony S2100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a5100 and Sony S2100
 Sony Alpha a5100Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a5100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-08-17 2010-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6000 x 4000 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 179 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-105mm (3.2x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 1s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1200s
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.30 m
Flash modes Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 283 gr (0.62 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") 98 x 61 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 1347 not tested
Other
Battery life 400 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FW50 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, optional SD, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $448 $0