Sony a5100

Sony a5100 is Sony's Entry-Level Mirrorless digital camera first revealed on August of 2014. The camera has got a 24MP, CMOS APS-C sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 6000 x 4000.

Sony released this model in an effort to improve the earlier Sony a5000 (Read Full Comparison)

The a5100 is positioned #28 out of 117 in Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and all round #183 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. Remember to use our Smart camera search to see camera rankings based on your personalized criteria.

Here is a diagram of various criteria used in the scoring system.

The Sony a5100 comes with a history of related cameras. Underneath, you can discover all earlier and most recent models as well as important specs.

You can check the a5100 from different angles in the gallery below.

Below is a collection of positives and negatives of the Sony a5100 based on factors which are normally viewed as important in a digital camera.

The Sony a5100 houses the Bionz X processor. The sensor specification in the Sony a5100 is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor can resolve 6000 x 4000 pixels and aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 24MP and provides a standard ISO range of 100 - 25600. RAW format is supported which means that you have wider margin for error.

The picture underneath shows the a5100's sensor dimensions compared to other popular sizes. The a5100 sensor comes with a crop factor of 1.5 and is presented in green.

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To get an idea of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Sony a5100 weighs 0.62 lbs (283 gr or 9.98 ounces) and the volume of the camera is 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4"). The weight of normal Entry-Level Mirrorless camera is 329 gr so the Sony a5100 is lighter in comparison with its competitors.

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Here is a shot of the Sony a5100 with a soda to help you to have a feel for its scale.

The top view underneath will highlight the button arrangement on the a5100.

The a5100 uses the Sony E mount and has 170 lenses that are available. Below is a few of the lenses we have in our database which will work with the a5100.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS100-400mmf/5-6.3 1135g

Samyang T-S 24mm f3.5 ED AS UMC24mmf/3.5 680g

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Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art35mmf/1.4645g

Sigma 40mm F1.4 DG HSM A40mmf/1.40g

Sony FE 35mm F1.835mmf/1.8280g

Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS600mmf/4 3040g

Photography Glossary

Sigma 24-70 F2.8 DG DN Art24-70mmf/2.8835g

The a5100 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• NFC Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that come with NFC and / or Bluetooth connectivity can easily be controlled wirelessly through smartphones. You can easily copy images and sometimes change camera settings without the hassle of connecting physically to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and click the shutter in case you aren't close to the camera. If the camera has a HDMI out, it could be connected to an external screen. Most cameras enable you to charge the battery through the USB port.

The maximum video quality in the Sony a5100 is 1920 x 1080 and it can shoot in MPEG-4, AVCHD and XAVC S file format. 1080p quality can provide a good balance between video quality and file sizes but FULL HD will not give you much room to crop. The camera doesn't feature a mic and / or headphone port which means you have little control over your audio. It is probably a better idea to look at another model if you want better audio in your videos.

There is no weather proofing on the Sony a5100 so you need to be cautious in wet or dusty conditions.

The Sony a5100 has got a 3" tilting screen supporting a resolution of 922k dots.

Moreover the screen is touch friendly which means that you will be able to adjust focus points and change settings using your finger.

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The ViewFinder specs regarding Sony a5100 are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be quite beneficial during sunny outdoor conditions which might make the camera screen washed out and hard to view.

Sony a5100 continuous shooting rate is 6.0 frames/s. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Sony a5100 boasts only built in flash lacking external flash ability.

Sony a5100 boasts both Phase Detect AF and Contrast Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot faster and precise in comparison with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera has got Face detection which makes it helpful for portrait photography.

The AF system has got 179 focus points to pick from. Sony a5100 has touch to focus. You can easily use your fingers in order to change focus points. It also features Tracking AF for subjects on the move. Sony a5100 has manual focus if needed during low light occasions or you require more precise control on focus.

The battery (NP-FW50) on the Sony a5100 is designed to last for 400 images as per the CIPA standards making it higher than average ın comparison with its class. The general Entry-Level Mirrorless camera battery life is 343. Fujifilm X-S20 offers the highest possible (750) battery life within this group of cameras.

Here is a listing of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras that come with the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X-S20
a5100 vs X-S20750 yesnoyes

Samsung NX mini
a5100 vs NX mini650 yesnono

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Pentax K-01
a5100 vs K-01540 yesnono

Sony NEX-3N
a5100 vs NEX-3N480 yesnono

Sony NEX-F3
a5100 vs NEX-F3470 yesnono

The following graph presents a overview of the Sony a5100 for various kinds of photography. To look at more, scroll to the specific paragraph underneath.

The Sony a5100 receives a score of 72 which is nice, meaning that it is a fine fit for portrait photos. Taking portraits leans heavily to sensor dimension, support for RAW photos and flexibility to work with external lighting.

Getting a terrific points tally of 82, the Sony a5100 is a wonderful option to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera features a perfect balance of picture quality and portability.

A above average sports photography rating of 68 indicates the Sony a5100 is a good pick for taking pictures of sports. A camera should have good autofocus and continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is extremely crucial in choosing a travel camera. Over-all, the Sony a5100 gets a tremendous 80 for a travelling camera which makes it a excellent choice to buy for your travels.

For those who are planning to pick a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most important factor will be image quality. The Sony a5100 with it's tremendous grade of 79 for a landscape camera is a great pick within the current marketplace.

A vlogging camera really should have a articulating display screen, mic port and ideally IBIS. Considering all things, the Sony a5100 is not very good as a vlog camera as it receives a bad score of 34.

If you need replacements to the a5100, here is a list of the top placed cameras that fall into the family of Entry-Level Mirrorless.

The graph listed below shows you a bird's eye view of the a5100 versus it's highest ranked competitors listed previously.

There are more cameras you may see as alternative options. To go through a extensive comparison, click the "compare" link.