EOS R5vs A5100
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
Casual & Travel — A5100 (2014): The A5100 is one of the smallest APS-C mirrorless cameras ever made. Its 24MP sensor, phase-detect AF, and selfie-friendly flip screen pack remarkable capability into a shirt-pocket-sized body. No EVF or hot shoe limits it for serious use, but as a compact travel camera or beginner's first mirrorless, it punches well above its price on the used market.
Who should buy what
EOS R5 (2020)
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
A5100 (2014)
- Beginners stepping up from a smartphone
- Compact travel photographers
- Casual vloggers who want APS-C quality
Quick take: The eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the a5100 is the most affordable; only the eos r5 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R5 (2020) | A5100 (2014) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,499 | £200 |
| Sensor | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 24.3MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.0MP | 24.3MP |
| Video | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | Hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | None |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 6fps |
| Battery Life | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~400 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 650g (with battery) | 224g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 109.6 × 62.8 × 35.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | None |
| Screen | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" flip-up touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Single SD / MemoryStick PRO Duo slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | Micro USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R5 | A5100 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history