I was anxious to review the A5100 as, with the exception of a viewfinder, it seemed so similar to the A6000 and I wanted to understand the differences. Sony was very helpful and loaned me one from the first batch that arrived in Toronto.
The first thing I did was to compare the two. You may also wish to check out my review of the A6000. Prices are quoted in Canadian dollars.
For US pricing, here’s my Amazon affiliate link for the A5100.
This coincided with fall in Canada, and included a trip to Halifax. Yes, the gelato at Lola’s Gelato (16 Brookers Lane near Humber Bay Shores Park) is delicious and the latté is pretty good too. Yoga poses by Calla. The cigar-smoking, martini drinking pumpkin was carved by Deb Worobec. Yes, the homemade blueberry pie at La Cuisine de Brigitte in West Chezzetcook is worth the trip (it’s just east of Halifax). I participated in a Sony Meetup during Toronto Fashion Week – if you’re shooting with a Sony camera (or just interested in Sony cameras) and live in Toronto, join this meetup. It provides excellent opportunities to try equipment and lenses, as well as getting you behind the scenes of some interesting events. Toronto’s Sunnyside Bike Park is at Ellis Avenue and Lakeshore. I mention Serge Ramelli – his tutorials are a great way to explore Lightroom (he shoots with a Sony A7).
My sincere thanks to Tom Hanley and Juice, as well as Adam Sakiyama for composing the music.
The photos are mapped to the video resolution (1920×1080) using “Fit” and 95% (except the ones noted as 100%, which are pixel-mapped crops). In the High Park sequence, you’ll see some camera playback images – the actual photos have a white border. All photos (and their EXIF data) can be found at my maartech flickr account. All photos have been processed in Lightroom – as there is no import filter for the A5100 available, these are all from JPG files and most are presented without modification. I know you will want to know that I use a Roots wrist strap.
The shots taken in Lola’s Gelato were shot using a Sony VG20 camera, with the SEL18200 lens (Calla is behind the camera). Other scenes of the A5100 were shot using the Sony A6000 with the 16-70mm lens. For the camera screen captures I used both the elgato game capture HD and the Atomos Ninja Star – the a5100 thankfully supports both clean and dirty output when shooting – this makes it so much easier to create a visual review with sequences like the High Park colour settings. Edited on a 27″ iMac in Final Cut X 10.1.
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For your guidance –
The products reviewed are on loan, and returned after the review unless otherwise mentioned.
I am not sponsored or compensated by any manufacturer, I have not accepted payment to review any product.
I am not compensated for my reviews except through Google Adwords.
The Amazon links are affiliate links, I do receive a small commission – but please do not allow this to influence your purchase decision.
I also encourage you to visit and support your local photo/video retailer.
