Detailed look at the Sony a5100 interchangeable lens camera (found via Nofilmschool)
While this isn’t a scientific measure I just checked the Amazon digital camera Best seller rankings (Click here) to see if the new Sony A5100 got many preorders (Amazon counts orders-preorders in that list). Well unlike the A6000 to other popular E-mount cameras the A5100 didn’t even make it into the top 100 of that list. Well this may changes if you check out that list of new reviews and videos 🙂
There is a short hands-on review in Thai but with plenty of great product pictures and image samples posted at Pantip.com (google translation here).
New A5100 videos on Youtube:
Sony A5100 Touch AF Demo
Sony A5100 Autofocus tracking and hi-speed shooting (6fps)
Sony A5100 video sample Full HD 50p
Sony A5100 video sample Full HD 50p with optical stabilisation
Sony A5100 AF-C Demo
sony a5100 camera menu
A5100 preorder link list:
A5100 black body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony Store US, Sony DE, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony NL, Sony IT,
A5100 black with kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony Store US.
A5100 white with kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony RM-SPR1 Remote Commander with Multi Terminal, 2.6′ Cord at Adorama.
Sony LCS-EBD Body Case for Alpha NEX 5000 and 5100 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Leather Like Material, Brown at Adorama.
Sony LCS-EBD Body Case for Alpha NEX 5000 and 5100 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Leather Like Material, Black at Adorama.
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High end A7000 would sell well.
Make it weather sealed and start releasing weather sealed lenses, including 100mm macro.
For USA person Discover the great details
Sony a5100 24MP 16-50mm Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-Inch Flip Up LCD (Black)
http://j.mp/1tk8b9d
I heard they excluded multi frame noise reduction…..
pricing is not low enough either..
Probably more to do with the fact nobody buys cameras in August, plus there’s no international events (Olympics, etc) that would drive unseasonal buying.
And yet, there are all those cameras that are outselling it, in August.
ha!
Nevertheless, when I worked in publishing there were times when it was not a good idea to release something new, those times being January to April and August. I suspect most retail is similar.
You’re right. Vacations are pretty much over and the family get-together season (at least here in America) won’t start back up until November around Thanksgiving. Then Back Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner.
I’m a little odd in that I have an event I’d like a new FF for in early October. Miss that and I probably don’t care until maybe spring. Maybe very early 2015.
The good news is Sony is saving me thousands of dollars. ;^)
Just checked US Amazon’s Best Selling DSLR list and it’s listed there at number 34 at this time. I’m surprised actually. http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Camera-Photo-Digital-SLR-Cameras/zgbs/photo/3017941#2
It’s an awkward model. Too big and expensive for the P&S market. Too small and handicapped for the mid to high level market.
Sony marketing should have made a bigger deal about a super cheap APS-C XAVCS interchangeable lens camera instead of lying on their laurels and letting it simmer in the news as a simple NEX 5n/t/r replacement or something similar.
And this video needs a bit more excitement.
“And this video needs a bit more excitement.”
Understatement! 🙂
the future is 4k, not 1080p
The future is 8K not 4K.
The future is 16K, not 8K. LOL
That must UHMQHD : Ultra High Mega Quad High Definition
Great 1080 is miles better than crap 4K.
Besides, skills trump tech specs so the future is whatever you want to make out of it.
Exactly, this was a missed opportunity by Sony to hype up what looks like a fantastic mid range video camera.
Can’t imagine why they didn’t do this, didn’t want to harm sales of higher end models??? Surely not.
For 100$ less, I can’t see many people preferring this to A6000.
Exactly my guess… Not only no EVF… Also no flip-down lcd and no 11 fps burst! I hope they bring XAVCS to the A6000 via firmware soon!
Obviously overpriced in need of a price cut
no way ! i can’t believe it ! no one wants “yet another meaningless sony camera” ? no way !
LOL
then give it some meaning with the great photos you take with it. its only a cold peace of metal and plastic that is able to convert light into shades of grey.
50 shades of grey, to be precise 🙂
Video quality doesn’t look impressive. RX10 is a lot more detailed, even on youtube. Maybe the testers did something wrong, or sony is crippeling the video – or maybe full-sensor-readout was a marketing mistake ?
You can’t tell from those 2 badly shot videos, if the video quality is good or not.
Are the samples recorded in XAVC S or what? Are they recorded in 50p or 60p and transcoded to 30p for YouTube? We don’t know anything.
The guy who shot the sample videos had no clue how to shoot good video. He shot with a wrong shutter speed and whatnot.
Also, the sample videos are highly-compressed YouTube videos. Let’s wait for some real sample videos.
Good rule of thumb is assume 95% of “reviews” you read online of the video capabilities of a camera is complete crap, even if (especially if! Sometimes) written by a respected and knowledgeable photographer. As very few of them have the video knowledge needed to properly assess the video power in a new camera.
They originally advertised this model with full pixel readout for video but have since removed that from the press release. 🙁
It’s not canon or nikon, so idiot consumers don’t care..
Consumers are inherently lazy and just use what others buy, assuming they did the legwork.
This is how crap products like GoPro and the like become the defacto brands
In Canada, the A5100 is $729.
The A6000 is currently on sale for $749.
Hopefully this means an upgrade for the a6000 is coming soon in the $1000 range. But I feel bad for recent buyers of the a6000. What a slap in the face from Sony.
Dont feel bad for me..
Feel sorry for yourself because you don’t have a good camera to use now.
Don’t feel bad for A6000 buyers. It’s a great camera. It competes very well with D5300 or T5i. Small, compact with great IQ. Lots of in-camera processing options (HDR, B&W, watercolors etc.) With my 35 mm 1.8 I can get sharpness and details not available on any other APS-C. For low light my Nikon with SB-700 cannot be beat, but otherwise it’s great.
That’s a great price for the A6000 (in Canada). A great camera at a great price. Hopefully Sony sells a bunch of A6000.
I think it is grouped wrongly on amazon and hence not showing up on the List in CSC. It is as of now # 37 on the DSLR list.
Why buy it now, wait 3 months and they will announce A5200. Its Sony way 🙂
E-Mount is NOT Alpha… It does nothing to deserve an “α”…
Adapting an A-Mount lens doesn’t make the camera an Alpha any more than mounting a smart Canon adapter makes it an EOS, or Leica, or Contax, or anything.
Alpha is a philosophy of functional design. Nothing E-Mount satisfies that philosophy.
There is NOTHING Alpha about an E-Mount camera.
Carry on telling yourself that…
Get a dose of reality. Alpha is a brand name owned by Sony for their digital cameras that they bought from Minolta. They can name their dog alpha, It’s not your business
Actually, Sony might not be able to call their dog Alpha. Trademarks (like Alpha) are generally registered for a particular type of business. In this case cameras and related gear.
There’s already an “Alpha Dog”, and it’s a film. Sony might have to call its dog Rover or Lassie…
Your link say it’s
#37 in Camera & Photo > Digital SLRs
This is fine with me. (that’s it’s not popular) – Just means that I will get the one I preordered sooner than later. I actually have a friend’s Sony NEX5N in my possession right now and the lack of buttons I don’t think would bother me. Those video examples above were horrendous, so I hope no one bases their opinion on those. It’s small. It has a great video codec, which by the way is in the A7S. And it has 8 bit 4:2:2 hdmi, same as the Canon C100, which means you could even get a recorder to record video to an even better codec. So, it doesn’t have a dial on top to set things like your shooting mode….big deal. I leave mine on manual all the time on my Canon, so I never even really touch that dial (unless I want to go into movie mode or aperture priority, but again…how many seconds would it take?)
Um, you don’t understand how useful the top dial mode. In Manual mode, the top dial would change the Aperture and the other one would change the Shutter speed.
What you’re saying is a whole lot of nonsense honestly, nobody really cares about using the top dial to change shooting mode.
1. Which camera were you referring to? If you meant the old NEX cameras, I know. I was referring to people coming from a DSLR camera where there is a dial there specifically for selecting of modes.
2. That’s exactly my point. On my Canon 60d there is a dial that is ONLY there to select modes. So you just actually confirmed what I was saying.
3. Having said that, I would love more buttons. I have two dials on my 60d to do exactly as you said…change aperture and the other for shutter speed. But consider this more of a video camera with a good codec instead of a professional photography camera, and that changes how it’s perceived. I wouldnt call it nonsense. If I am filming video, I dont need to change aperture on the fly, and the shutter speed is constant.
I’m talking about the NEX 5R/T. Sony perfected this camera with a *useful* top dial and they have now regressed with the A5100. Imagine that, the lowly NEX 5R/T competing with your Canon 60d.
Sony has a history of such regressions. For example from 5N -> 5R they degraded the touch screen. Now from 5T -> A5100 they are losing things like the top dial and possibly other controls, screen tilting down functionality, FPS performance, multi-interface, level sensor, etc…
The top dial was useless on the 5R/5T TBH. It mostly replaced the rear dial and was not a true two dial system except in manual. I actually preferred the UI of the 5n without the redundant second dial as the 5R/5T got rid of the useful cycling dial options. Despite having two dials it felt like a massive step back from the ‘clever’ single dial usage of the 5n. Saying that I have zero idea how well the a5000/a5100 handle with only one dial under the new UI.
This isn’t a camera people are going to jump out of the gate to buy. It’s a camera that will sell by its specs in the store. Comparatively, it looks like a good camera for the walk-in entry to middish level buyer. Maybe a few people will buy it as a small second body, but it’s a bit unfair to criticize an entry-level camera for not exciting the market that, uh, pre-orders cameras.
Exactly. It’s for the Best Buy browser looking for an upgrade from his or her iPhone. My criticism is of Sony timing the release of the a5100 at Photokina like they did the a5000 at CES. It’s a wasted marketing opportunity to whip up enthusiast excitement over the brand.
Well, it’s released BEFORE Photokina, right? Let’s wait and see when it IS Photokina.
It’s released for Photokina or are you going to keep the word parsing and pretending their timing for the a5000 and 5100 is a coincidence.
Don’t worry, Christmas is right around the corner!!
A total lack luster camera for the E mount line that is rapidly becoming oversaturated with new cameras.
I am not surprised people don’t want it.
My only disappointment in the a5100 is it doesn’t come in puce. Though the champagne color in SAR’s publicity photos does look kind of hot. Otherwise, I’d order 2 to take a selfie of me taking selfies. ;^)
Earthlings! We come in puce!
Show me a NEX 7 successor and you might gain my interest.
You mean the a6000?
NOT!
The mode dial ruins it.
True TRI-NAVI all the way. in full frame with an optional battery grip and a cable remote.
Love tri navi. Love my EVF. NEX 7 still rules
I think I prefer the quad-navi from the A7 series. However, the A7 aside, I can see if you are totally into the NEX-7 design, you want an upgrade on that, which still isn’t there, and no, the A6000 isn’t a replacement. There are notable differences in build and ergonomics between 6 and 7 series cameras. But except for the tri-navi and EVF hump, the A7 fulfills the needs you describe.
hated Tri-Navi, Fuji X-T1 is the winner in my book on how to design a compact mirrorless camera user experience.
No even close.
EVF is god awful, no horizon, no mic connector, no external controls to control shutter, apperture and ISO without going into menus, worse focus point selection.
For me, the real deal-killer (other than cost, which will probably come down quickly) is the lack of ability to connect any kind of external flash … even the gimpy ones you could connect to the 5 series with the weird totally non-standard connector they had. If not for that, this would make a nice backup for work serious enough to carry two cameras (or for environments where I don’t want to risk my 6, if the price drops enough to make it a good contender for that sort of role). But that’s hugely limiting on a camera that costs more than many low-end C/N DSLRs. Interchangeable lens cameras aren’t point-and-shoots … even low-end ones should be capable of some basic options, and this camera otherwise is, with that one huge omission.
Even on the 5 series, you could use an adapter to connect a manual flash with a standard hotshoe … though that was quite a lot of weight for that connector and wasn’t recommended.
Well.. It comes with a gimpy flash.. So..
I don’t even want a hotshoe for a flash… I want it as a place to put the microphone!
But oh hang on… it has no mic input on the body to plug in :-/ 🙁
You cant even use the EVF which one bought for the 5 series , and that evf was high price item .
he looks so sad doing this video, maybe he was forced to do it???
Guy’s from Europe, what do you expect? Just kidding, but I am waiting on the Sony video with Olivia Esperanza (from SGNL).
I’ve lost track of all the different NEX models. These things change more often than the latest fashion trend.
Good thing then that there hasn’t been any new NEX cameras announced for quite some time and will be no NEX cameras.
Alpha E mount cameras on the other hand… 😉
That’s because these aren’t an enthusiasts ‘must have pre order now!’ camera. These are cameras that sell well on shelves to ‘non camera people’. That’s the difference that people like those visiting here can’t see. The a5100 is the perfect blend of features that non enthusiasts want and it will sell very well.
But for $100 difference? Do you think that is enough separation?
$100 extra to pay for features they won’t use… yep definitely. if they will they will fork over the extra $100. I suspect the extra cost of the a5100 will dissolve sooner rather than later anyway as it is more to have a price premium over the a5000 rather than a price cut on a6000. So buyers will be ‘stepping up’ to an a5100 over a5000 rather than ‘stepping down’ from an a6000. Otherwise they are quite a different market (even though they are fairly close on price).
For people who need the features that the A6000 provides, it is money well spent. The A6000 is a nicely specified camera at a great price. If you can live with the features in the A5100, then that’s what you ought to buy ($100 is not that insignificant).
Exactly. Proof that Sony marketing is clinically insane. They repeated the same mistake but expect different results. CES they released the a5000. Crickets chirped at their presentation. The a5000 sales bombed because the sort of people who buy such entry-level cameras don’t follow shows or pre-order. Sony slashed the price $100 during the pre-orders and never looked back.
The only difference with the a5100 is it looks like they over-priced it by $200 instead of $100.
I think Sony marketing earns performance bonuses upon failure. Only explanation.
Yes yes, we know how much of an expert you are.
$200 over priced? Instead of a $550 body a $350 body??
Man, I’ll be dreaming over it being that cheap! I’d buy it today in a heartbeat if it went on special at that price.
Somehow I doubt it will be dropping that low during the pre order phase.
Let me clarify. That’s with kit lens. This entry-level camera is mostly targeted at people who will get it as a kit. Bottom line, it should sell at the same price level the a5000 sold at after Sony slashed it’s pre-order sales price.
Why does Sony need to price it lower? It’s taking over the NEX-5T market, not the 3N (which the A5000 replaced).
Exactly! It sits between A5000 and A6000 in the line-up, so it’s not the replacement of A5000.
A5000 (with the lens) goes for under US$400 currently on the second hand market, am looking forward to the A5100 reaching those prices soon! 😉
it’s because some are waiting for an cheap fullframe ^^
They already have cheap full frame.
The A5100 is not on the list, but did you see the other Sony Cameras?
Top 3: all Sony
4 Sony cameras in the Top 5,
6 Sony cameras in the Top 10
11 Sony cameras in the Top 20
Sony rules!
Let me guess: all E-Mounts?
Yes, because it’s in the Compact System Camera category; No A-mount cameras are in that category.
The Sony a77II has done okay on Amazon. It’s been consistently in the top 100 and mostly in the top 50. I just checked it out – 1st time since SAR announced Sony is pi$$ing all over a-mount fans again and continuing the a99II release foot-dragging post-Photokina (if ever) – and it has now dropped about 50 spots to 95th. Coincidence?
Let’s see, it is a list of mirrorless cameras, sony has no mirrorless camera that jas an other mount then the E-mount so I think it are all E-mount cameras yes…
The video on top is quite rediculous. He’s just reading the specs while having the camera in hand. It would be really useful if he demonstrates how some of the new features work in stead of just holding it. He only shows how the zoom lever works, which is already there since the NEX-3N. And he’s the Technical Marketing Manager? Is it then your job to read specs lists on Youtube?
He doesn’t knock the bins off your shoulder when you’re at work, son. Or tell you how to spell ridiculous.
Not sure what you mean, probably because English isn’t my native language. Thanks for the correction though.
Very strange, as over on the video forums that I’m on I saw several people pre-order this camera without hesitation! As this is clearly the most exciting low or mid range camera to film with that has been released in 2014. (i.e. anything which is cheaper than the level of the GH4 / A7s)
I am very tempted to finally given in and get this as my first ever soon camera. But I already brought a Nikon D5200 earlier this year for filming with, have a BMPCC on back order, and have my heart set on getting a GH4 by this summer. Plus have a bunch of micro four third cameras for when I need to do live multi cam shoots.
Sooo… as much as I’d like to get a A5100, I need to try and resist! I have more than enough cameras.
They originally advertised this model with full pixel readout for video but have since removed that from the press release. The full pixel readout probably inspired those preorders. What video forums are you on?
Just simply having the same amazing performance as the A6000 but at a lower price is a big enough reason to order it!
But additionally having the 50Mbps XAVC S Codec… is awesome!
Just bought it. Couldn’t be more satisfied with it.
As a beginner i’ve never shot with an EVF before so the lack of it doesn’t matter to me.
I was looking for the best quality (photos/videos) camera in the smallest package available.
XAVC-S video quality, Compact size, touchscreen to focus/shutter and the 180degrees flipable/selfie/vlog screen has made this an easy choice over the A6000.
The A5100 isn’t comparable to the A6000 in my opinion. It’s a far better allaround camera.
You could compare it to the RX100M3 in some ways but a5100 comes first regarding the long term use of this camera as it has interchangeable lens, Larger sensor and you can actually update the camera any time with a prime lens. (RX100M3 has fixed lens).
Sony’s SEL20F28 prime pancake lens(20mm thick) makes the A5100 pocketable if that’s the only reason someone would choose the RX100M3 over the a5100. If that’s not enough then putting on an adapter(2mm thick)+Olympus 9mm fisheyelens(12mm) makes the camera only a few mm thicker than the RX100m3(41mm) vs 35,7mm(body)+2mmadapter+12mm lens=49.7mm. But you can go even smaller if you get an MS-Optical triplet perar lens(4,2mm thick!!!)+2mm adapter+35,7body=41.9mm!!!
boom you got yourself the thickness and pocketability of the RX100M3 in a far superior camera.
Those were my concerns while searching for the best camera at this price range. If anyone shares the same thoughts with me on this then it’s a no brainer at all as to whether or not to get the a5100 😉
An update: I ended up not being able to resist, and I got an A5100 for myself! 😀 My first ever E mount camera.
Maybe this will send a message to Sony that they have hit the limits of market segmentation.
Listen to people sony. a6000 with touch screen and weather sealed is what people are looking for.
And XAVC-S
add 180 flip screen please and I am in.
weather sealing yes, but touchscreen, no… I would disable the touchscreen first thing on any camera that had it… just my own opinion of course.
Maybe if it wasn’t priced at 698
They originally advertised this model with full pixel readout for video but have since removed that from the press release. 🙁
For a $100 more I’d buy the A6000. EVF’s are critical to me
May be if the dumb enginners added the accessory terminal then people who already had a evf for their 5 series camea would have bought it , This IMHO is a failed camera.
Haha, I predicted this in the comments when it was announced, which was met with a few incredulous replies and words such as “blind” and “crazy.” It’s funny how they all deleted their replies now. Sony needs to stop listening to their fanboys who just want affiliate status and start listening to the people that will actually tell them what the market is looking for. Build a E-mount full frame with A6000 AF, or for the consumer a touchscreen operating system like Samsung has, or an A99 II with better tracking AF. Then I’ll get excited…
Just to clarify, I’m a Sony guy myself. Was shooting Sony gear before
it was popular, even the Minolta 7 film camera. The point is, that Sony
needs to look at Leica as the example of how to build a loyal film
base- instead of making a million iterations of the same product with
marginal updates, take the time to give people what they want. Consumer
loyalty goes both ways- no one wants to go out and buy a camera only to
have their camera outdated and worth half of what they paid in 6
months. So instead of throwing everything against the wall and seeing
what sticks, release models that will make an impact and add something
to the market.
Sony dont care about consumers , else they would have added a terminal to use the EVF/MIke avaialable for the 5 series camera , instead they have ommited it , sorry sony but you should have followed the F3 design which had inbuilt flash and terminal to use evf, i think many people who already have the evf wont buy this camera .