Sony a5100 vs Sony W530

Let's take a more detailed look at the Sony a5100 and Sony W530, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact and they are both sold by Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the a5100 (24MP) and W530 (14MP) and the a5100 (APS-C) and W530 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The a5100 was manufactured 3 years later than the W530 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W530 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the a5100 grades vs the W530 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha a5100 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony a5100 Gallery and Sony W530 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Sony a5100 enjoys outside dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs) while the Sony W530 has measurements of 93mm x 53mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 113 grams (0.25 lbs).

Examine the Sony a5100 and Sony W530 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using during that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the a5100 versus the W530.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the a5100 and W530 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the a5100 and W530.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The a5100 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony a5100 will show greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more modern a5100 provides a benefit in sensor tech.