Upgrade Guide

Sony A7R II→Sony A5100

Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.

You own

Sony

A7R II

£799

2015

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A5100

£200 (-£599)

2014

⚖️

Situational

One clear hardware improvement over the A7R II. Worth it if that specific upgrade aligns with what you shoot.

What's new in the A5100

Unchanged or similar

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A7R II	A5100
Price	£799	£200
Released	2015	2014	↓
Sensor	42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R	24.3MP APS-C Exmor CMOS
Resolution	42MP	24MP	↓
Video	4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p	1080p/60p
Autofocus	399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection	Hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF, face detection
Stabilisation	IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS)	None
Burst Rate	5fps	6fps	↑
Battery Life	~290 shots (CIPA)	~400 shots (CIPA)	↑
Weight	625g (with battery and card)	224g (body only)	↑
Weather Sealed	Yes	No	↓
Viewfinder	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification	None
Screen	3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch)	3.0" flip-up touchscreen, 921k dots
Mount	Sony FE (full-frame E-mount)	Sony E-mount
Memory Cards	Single SD UHS-I slot	Single SD / MemoryStick PRO Duo slot

Compare side-by-side

See A7R II and A5100 next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A5100 against your specific genres — not just specs.

Other upgrades from the A7R II

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