Sony Alpha A5100 Pro Reviews

The Sony Alpha 5100 is quick to focus and features a tilting touch screen, but it can't shoot as fast as our favorite Sony mirrorless camera.

The Sony Alpha A5100 is one of the more compact mirrorless cameras available with built in flash, particularly considering it has a 24megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, and fast hybrid AF focus. For a smaller mirrorless camera you could have a look at the smaller sensor Nikon 1 series, or the Panasonic Lumix GM1 with Micro Four Thirds sensor, both feature smaller bodies and smaller lenses. The A5100 has impressive phase-detection focus and an improved appearance, although is let down slightly by the 16-50mm kit lens, which gives soft images at the telephoto end, and for the best results we would recommend a prime lens. The Sony Alpha A5100 is comfortable to hold with a large rubberised grip, and produces excellent images with good colour and reasonable detail. It has a number of useful features including Automatic Dynamic Range Optimisation (DRO) and HDR modes to expand dynamic range, as well as good noise performance. The built in Wi-Fi and NFC is a useful feature and the capabilities of the camera can be improved through the installation of additional apps. The tilting screen makes it easy to take self portraits or shoot at different angles. For those looking for one of the smallest mirrorless cameras available with an APS-C sensor, built in flash and Wi-Fi, the Sony Alpha A5100 would make an excellent choice - although to get the best out of the 24.3 megapixel sensor prime lenses are recommended.