A new entry in the Sony Alpha series of cameras, the a5100 looks to pack some serious technology for both the beginner and enthusiast into a small body, and even the photographer keen to bring something small with them.
For starters, there’s an APS-C sensor like that out of many a digital SLR in this camera, boating 24.3 megapixels and one of Sony’s BIONZ X image processors working to keep the images looking excellent out of the camera and before Photoshop touches them.
Low-light sensitivity is supported from ISO 100 to 25600 for the 24 megapixel images with RAW and JPG supported here, and videos can shoot at up to ISO 12800 in Full HD MP4.
An interesting inclusion is the focus system, which is apparently taken from the a6000 and offers 179 phase detection-points and 25 contrast-detection points, making the focus particularly speedy.
Focus is also helped by touch-focus with a 3 inch touchscreen on the back, with the shutter firing shortly after if the settings are right, and that 3 inch LCD can even be rotated to face you if you’re in the mood for a selfie.
Getting shots from the camera to your device is catered for with WiFi and Near-Field Communication, so if you have an Android phone, you can simply bump the two devices — camera and phone — together to start the transfer process, while iOS devices using WiFi Direct from Sony’s app, which can also control the camera from the smartphone app itself.
As expected, there’s a reasonable amount of functionality offered in this body, and with a suggested retail price of $899, it will likely grab the attention of many keen to own something small, modern, and reasonably powerful, to look for it shortly after the beginning of September, which is when Sony expects it to hit stores.
