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SONY α5100 / SHOOTING REPORT

The Alpha 5100 is an entry-level mirrorless camera from SONY. Even though it's an entry model, the 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor enables large bokeh and high resolution. And yet, the body is so compact (I guess this should be the minimal size to realize the balance between the performance and handling) that the standard kit zoom lens has more presence than the body. It has a tilting rear LCD screen, electronic flash, and the wireless connectivity features such as NFC and Wi-Fi. Plus, the "fast hybrid AF" quickly follows fast moving subjects, and this is a necessary feature for family use as well.

( Photography : M.Ito / Text : KIMURAX )

Quick AF enables rhythmic shooting

Indeed, the AF is pleasantly fast and accurate. Plus, in our test, it rarely hunted. And, this performance is due to the AF sensors on nearly the entire photo diode area except for the corners. This responsiveness is helpful in everyday shooting of frolicking children or pets. You always want the camera to be able to focus on the very scene you want to capture without fail. And, in this sense, you can count on this camera.

Thanks to the LCD screen which tilts by 180 degrees, the low angle shooting is a peace of cake. And, the touch-panel LCD lets you shoot by touching on the point you want to focus. Because the focusing point makes a big difference on the image, this "touch shutter" is a welcome function.

The front and back bokeh is unique to a mirrorless camera with a large APS-C sensor. It reproduced the silhouette of the leaves as well as the shining downy hair minutely.


I shot with the "proper exposure" because I believe a camera reveals its potential in a scene with a big luminance difference. The blue tone of the sky is so soft and the shadow of the chair made by the defused light looks very natural. With the Alpha 5100, you can focus on pressing the shutter, leaving everything else to the camera.

I stopped down so that the entire scene looks sharp. Yet, it realized the 3D quality as well as the shadow area on the upper right. I guess this realistic depiction was realized by the number of the pixels over 20-megapixels.

Again, I shot under the adverse condition with a big luminance difference. Of course, the brightest area is whitened. But, it still realized the subtle nuance of the light as well as the thin leaves transmitting the light.

What a 3D pop quality. I can almost hear the sound of the dropping water.

Despite the distance, the resolution of the sharp leaves is wonderful. And, the texture depiction of the concrete wall is great. Compared to the compact cameras, this camera with the large sensor is more prone to camera shake. So, I appreciated the powerful anti-hake mechanism of the kit lens "E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS."

The 180-degree tilting LCD screen enables selfies. Because I'm too shy to show my face here, please forgive me with the silhouette. Did you find the four-leaf clover?


High quality images captured stress-free.

Even though mirrorless cameras have shorter history than DSLR cameras, they are becoming better and better. The Alpha 5100 with the wide AF area focuses fast and accurately. In addition, it boasts the continuous shooting speed up to 6fps. As you have seen, the image quality is guaranteed by the large APS-C 24.3-megapixel sensor. We have a lot of choices for entry-level cameras and of course the price reflects the difference of the performance and the functions. But, if you don't see the difference of image quality among the models you are comparing with, it's best to choose the one that is the most responsive because it allows more stress-free shooting. And, the touch-panel operation is just like what you do with your smartphone. If you want a handy camera that generates DSLR quality images, try the Alpha 5100.

( 24.09.2014 )