Who should buy the A5100?

Beginners stepping up from a smartphone Compact travel photographers Casual vloggers who want APS-C quality

How much does the A5100 cost in the UK?

The A5100 starts from £255 in the UK. Prices are tracked live on GearFrame.

Sony

Sony A5100

Name: A5100
Brand: Sony
Availability: InStock

The Sony A5100 is one of the smallest and lightest APS-C mirrorless cameras ever made. Its 24.3MP Exmor CMOS sensor and hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF system pack genuinely capable performance into a shirt-pocket-sized body. The flip-up selfie screen and NFC / Wi-Fi connectivity made it an early favourite for vloggers and travel bloggers. It lacks an EVF and hot shoe, which limits its appeal for serious work — but as a compact everyday camera, backup body, or beginner's first mirrorless, it remains an excellent and affordable used-market buy.

GearFrame's Take

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.

Used from

£255

Check price at eBay

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RetailerPrice

Used

eBay used

Lowest Buy It Now · marketplace

£102

Search eBay →

Wex Photo Video used

£255

Check on Wex Photo Video →

MPB used

Inspected used stock · 12-month warranty

£269

Check on MPB →

New

No new stock at our retailers

eBay

Lowest Buy It Now · marketplace

£100

Search eBay →

Amazon

—

Check on Amazon →

Prices are synced live from UK retailers. Not every product will be stocked by every retailer; older models may only be available second hand.

Value & Depreciation

£420

Launch price

→

£200

Today

52%

Value drop

Over ~12 years, this camera has cost roughly £18/year to own (buy at launch price, sell today). That's one of the lower cost-per-year cameras in its class.

What fits the Sony A5100

See all 268 accessories that fit →

Battery NP-FW50 400 shots per charge (CIPA) From £22.99 · Ansmann NP-FW50 Battery (replacement for Sony NP-FW50) Every NP-FW50 battery and charger →

Memory card

SD Single slot Cheapest at V30 / U3+: £15.99 · Lexar Professional 1066x 64GB SD

Top mode needs V30 / U3 (from its top video mode and burst rate) SD cards and speeds →

Filter size Depends on the lens. The commonest threads on Sony E lenses: 67mm68 77mm43 82mm41 62mm37 72mm28 52mm24 49mm23 58mm19 Number = lenses with that thread. Your lens's size is on its product page. All filter sizes →

Core

Released

2014

Sensor

24.3MP APS-C Exmor CMOS

Resolution

24.3 MP

Mount

Sony E-mount

Dimensions

109.6 × 62.8 × 35.7mm

Weight

224g (body only)

Weather Sealed

Performance

Autofocus

Hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF, face detection

Stabilisation

No stabilisation

Burst Rate

6fps

Battery Life

~400 shots (CIPA)

Features

Video

1080p/60p

Viewfinder

No viewfinder

Screen

3.0" flip-up touchscreen, 921k dots

Memory Cards

Single SD / MemoryStick PRO Duo slot

Connectivity

Micro USB, Wi-Fi, NFC

Detailed Specs

Sensor Format

APS-C

Viewfinder Type

None

Screen Type

Tilting

Touchscreen

Yes

Card Slots

Battery Life (CIPA)

400 shots

Dimensions

110 × 63 × 36mm

Weight (Grams)

283g

Autofocus Type

On-sensor phase detect (hybrid)

Subject Detection

Face, Eye

Max Burst Rate

6.0fps

In-Body Stabilisation

Maximum Native ISO

25600

Max Video Resolution

1080p–2.7K

10-Bit Video

Log Profile

Built-in Microphone Input

Headphone Jack

Select up to 2 cameras to compare against the A5100. It's always pinned as the baseline.

Select 1–3 cameras to compare

2 lenses compatible with the Sony E-mount mount.

Fujinon

MK 18-55mm T2.9 (Sony E)

From £3,499

Fujinon

MK 50-135mm T2.9 (Sony E)

From £3,799

Who should buy this

Beginners stepping up from a smartphone
Compact travel photographers
Casual vloggers who want APS-C quality

GearScore™ — Suitability by Genre

Base score — computed from verified specs for an enthusiast shooting photo and video. Camera Match adjusts it for your skill level and priorities.

Portrait

5.4/10

Street

7.0/10

Travel

6.4/10

Wedding & Events

3.5/10

Vlogging & Video

4.8/10

Documentary

4.1/10

Sports & Action

4.7/10

Landscape

5.0/10

Wildlife

5.5/10

Casual

5.2/10

Food

5.9/10

Macro

5.2/10

Architecture

5.2/10

Astrophotography

4.7/10

Fun & simple

4.9/10

✅ Great For

🌆

Street 7.0 Strong on portability, discreet body and autofocus.

⚠️ Not Ideal For

💍

Wedding & Events 3.5 Held back by pro reliability and generation. Scored down: no flash sync.

🎥

Documentary 4.1 Held back by audio and generation.

⚡

Sports & Action 4.7 Held back by burst speed and viewfinder.

📝 How suitability scores are calculated GearScore™ genre scores are calculated from this camera's verified specifications — autofocus, sensor, weight, weather sealing and more — weighted by what matters for each type of photography. Where a spec sheet misses something (e.g. a manual-focus rangefinder for street), we apply a documented editorial adjustment. Scores are not based on customer reviews. See our full methodology →