14 DAY TRIAL // One day earlier than the rumor mill anticipated, Sony is rolling out the small and compact A5100 mirrorless camera.
After just six months since the A6000 was introduced, the company is already making available the A5100, a device that arrives with similar specs and pricing, thus offering customers looking for a mirrorless cam a hard choice.
The camera seems to be a budget version of the A6000 that currently sells for the $800 / €597. By comparison, the new A5100 can be yours for $550 / €441 body only or for $700 / €523 if you want the main kit with the 16-50mm power zoom lens.
The newcomer takes advantage of the same sensor (24.3-MP APS-C), autofocus system plus BIONZ X imaging processor of the A6000. Not only that but aesthetically speaking, the two models look quite similar.
The new camera has been designed for those of you who don’t need to use the viewfinder of the A6000 and want to spend less money in the process.
Even if you won’t get an electronic viewfinder with this model, the camera does offer a 3-inch tiltable touchscreen (which was not present with the A6000), which should be considered quite a positive aspect for small cameras like this one.
Sony explains that the AF system is not as speedy as the A6000, but it doesn't lag far beyond either. Moreover, the combination of 179 phase-detection AF points with 25 contrast-detection AF points should, in theory, allow you to snap subjects in action without a problem.
The A5100 is capable of shooting up to 6fps, and for the same money, you get a built-in flash, as well. The camera can also do video and is not half bad at it either.
Photography enthusiasts will be happy to know that the camera offers the XAVC S option so you’ll be able to record in 1080p at 50Mbps bitrate.
What’s more, the camera is said to be able to make two versions of the clips at the same time: the AVCHD one that allows users to easily share it, and XAVC S one which focuses on higher quality.
Sony calls the A5100 the smallest APS-C interchangeable-lens camera in existence (the title went to the previous A5000 until now) which has now been improved with a nice hybrid autofocus system.
We shouldn’t forget to say this little buddy right here comes with support for Wi-Fi and NFC so sharing material from the camera will be super easy. It also has HDMI output and pre-installed PlayMemories Camera Apps.
