Sony a5100 vs Sony W310

Its time to look more closely at the Sony a5100 and Sony W310, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both manufactured by Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the a5100 (24MP) and W310 (12MP) and the a5100 (APS-C) and W310 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The a5100 was revealed 4 years later than the W310 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W310 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the a5100 grades vs the W310 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha a5100 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W310. The full galleries are available at Sony a5100 Gallery and Sony W310 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony a5100 has got exterior measurements of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs) whilst the Sony W310 has dimensions of 95mm x 55mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs).

Check the Sony a5100 and Sony W310 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the a5100 vs the W310.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the a5100 and W310 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual below may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the a5100 and W310.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The a5100 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony a5100 will offer extra detail because of its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The newer a5100 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.