Sony A5100 Shooter’s Report part I: Out and about with a smorgasbord of lenses
posted Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 6:02 PM EDT
The Sony A5100 is a bit of an anomoly. For starters, its name implies that it succeeds the A5000, which it most certainly does not! The A5000 succeeds the lower-tiered NEX-3N, while the A5100 succeeds the mid-level NEX-5T. The popular A6000 succeeded the NEX-6 earlier this year, leaving only the flagship NEX-7 without an APS-C successor model (and we now speculate that the A7 series of full frame cameras are intended to fullfill that role).
At any rate, the NEX-5 series has, since its inception in 2010, been an awesome line of cameras both for point-and-shoot step-up users and also for enthusiasts looking for a capable companion to their DSLRs for lighter duty work when compact size is more important. The A5100 does in many ways represent some of the most significant upgrades to this mid-level line of any prior upgrade, including AF performance on par with the pricier A6000, more resolution than its predecessor and, get this -- it even has a really cool feature not found in the A6000, as it can simultaneously record two different video file formats.
But that's all paper and specs... how does it actually feel in the hands and shoot in the field? After spending some quality time with this little guy (and a few choice lenses) I've now posted the first Shooter's Report installment, covering the basic controls, handling and some work in the field with both the kit lens and a small arsenal of additional Sony zoom lenses and primes.
Check out the A5100 Shooter's Report for all the details.
And don't forget to check out our Sony A5100 gallery page, where you can access more images, RAW files and full EXIF data in doing your own investigating and comparison shopping. And check back often, as we'll have more to come on this feature-packed little camera soon.
[PS: Are you curious as to how the A5100 compares to its predecessor or siblings in both the specs and features departments? We've got you covered in our new camera comparison pages! Click any of the following to get started: A5100 vs NEX-5T / A5100 vs A5000 / A5100 vs A6000]
[quick links: Sony A5100 • Shooter's Report: Part I • Lab samples • Gallery]