Upgrade Guide
Sony A99 II→Sony A5000
Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.
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Situational
One clear hardware improvement over the A99 II. Worth it if that specific upgrade aligns with what you shoot.
What's new in the A5000
-
StabilisationIBIS added — significant for handheld and video
Unchanged or similar
-
Resolution20MP (down from 42MP — optimised for low light)
Suitability by genre
Base scores — computed from verified specs for an enthusiast shooting photo and video. The Upgrade Checker adjusts them for your skill level.
| Genre | A99 II | A5000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | -2.3 | ||
| Street | +1.3 | ||
| Travel | +1.5 | ||
| Wedding & Events | -3.6 | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | ||
| Filmmaking | — | ||
| Documentary | -1.5 | ||
| Sports & Action | -2.8 | ||
| Landscape | -1.1 | ||
| Wildlife | -1.5 | ||
| Casual | +0.7 | ||
| Food | -0.8 | ||
| Macro | — | ||
| Architecture | -1.4 | ||
| Astrophotography | -0.4 |
Full spec comparison
| Spec | A99 II | A5000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £749 used | £78 used | |
| Released | 2016 | 2014 | ↓ |
| Sensor | 42.4MP full-frame sensor | 20.1MP APS-C CMOS | |
| Resolution | 42MP | 20MP | ↓ |
| Video | 4K/30p full-pixel readout, 1080p/120, S-Log2 / S-Log3 | Full HD 1080 (60i / 25p AVCHD), 1440×1080/30p MP4 | |
| Autofocus | 79-point Hybrid Cross phase-detect AF (dedicated sensor + 399-point on-sensor), Eye AF | 25-point contrast AF with face detection | |
| Stabilisation | 4.5-stop 5-axis sensor-shift | No IBIS (lens-based stabilisation only) | |
| Burst Rate | 12fps with AF/AE tracking | 3.5fps | ↓ |
| Battery Life | ~490 shots (CIPA) | ~420 shots (CIPA) | ↓ |
| Weight | 849g (with battery and card) | 269g (with battery) | ↑ |
| Weather Sealed | Not weather sealed | Not weather sealed | |
| Viewfinder | OLED EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78x | None (rear screen only) | |
| Screen | 3.0" three-way tilting / swivel LCD, 1.23M dots | 3.0" 180° flip-up LCD, 460k dots | |
| Mount | Sony A-mount | Sony E-mount | |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots: SD / Memory Stick + SD | Single SD slot |
Compare side-by-side
⚖️ Compare these cameras
See A99 II and A5000 next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.
Get a personalised upgrade score
Run the upgrade checker →
Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A5000 against your specific genres — not just specs.
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