Unravel The Beauty Within Sony Alpha A5000

Why A5000?

Sony comes in late when we are talking about the production of digital cameras, compared to Canon and other manufacturers. Nevertheless, this does not stop Sony from producing innovative and great digital cameras up to par with those of known manufacturers. Sony was later then known in the field of digital camera for its series called the Alpha Line. The line features three different imaging technologies which are the: Digital single-lens reflex camera (DLSR), Single-lens translucent camera (SLT), and Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC).

Sony Alpha A5000, a mirrorless camera released on January 2014, is the world's lightest interchangeable-lens digital camera - stated by Sony based on a survey performed during the press release of the product. The A5000 showcases innovative features such as its tiltable LCD screen, wireless network capabilities and compactness.

Features

20.1MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor

With Exmor administered in its image sensor, A5000 is build with a two-step noise reduction and an on-chip analog/digital signal convertor. In additional, the fact that the type of material used for the sensor is CMOS makes the camera faster at reading information gathered when opening the shutter and exposing it to the light. Also, CMOS is known to suck up less power from the battery of the camera than those of sensors which uses CCD as a material, thus, enhancing the camera's battery life time.

BIONZ X Engine for Superb Detail and Noise Reduction

BIONZ is a trademark of the image processor currently used in many of Sony's Alpha Line. BIONZX, which is used in Sony A5000, is a significantly enhanced image processor which features superb detail reproduction technology, diffraction-reducing technology and area-specific noise reduction.

180° Tiltable Screen for Perfect Self-Portraits

One innovative feature of Sony A5000 is that the LCD screen can be flipped up facing the direction of the lens. This allows the photographer to take pictures or videos while looking at the display on the LCD screen, thus making self-portrait a lot better. 

PlayMemories Camera Apps Expand Creativity

This feature of Sony A5000 allows for the download of new editing and shooting applications, upload photos wirelessly without computers and add the latest enhancements to your camera. The thing is that the availability of the applications that can be downloaded varies by country.

Simple Sharing and Control with NFC One-Touch

Rushing back into group pictures after setting the self-timer can be quite a hassle. With the use of One-Touch Remote this kind of events can now be avoided. By simply touching your NFC-enabled device and Sony A5000 together you can now turn your device, whether it may be a smartphone or a tablet, into a remote control. Sharing of pictures from your Sony A5000 to your NFC-enabled device can also be possible, without the use of cables and without swapping memory cards, through the use of One-Touch Sharing.

Click here to see full specifications and features.

Design

Compactness is one great feature of Sony A5000. With a dimension of 109.6 x 62.8 x 35.7 mm this compact camera can fit in most pockets. Also, this camera is very light. Weighing only 269 grams, together with its battery and SD Card, is what makes this camera perfect to bring it with us in our everyday activities.

Its LCD screen can be flipped 180° to face the same direction as the lens, making it perfect for self-portrait photography.

Comparison

Here we are comparing three mirrorless cameras. All three cameras have APS-C sensor but both Sony Alpha A5000 and Samsung NX3000 have 20.0MP and Canon EOS M3 has 24.0MP resolution.

Lets have a brief look at the main features of the three cameras taken from Camera Decision.

	sONY ALPHA A5000	CANON EOS M3	SAMSUNG NX3000
Date released	January 2014	February 2015	May 2014
max resolution	20MP	24MP	20MP	EOS M3 has 19% more pixel than the two.
weigh	269g	336g	230g	A5000 is 97g lighter than EOS M3 but is 39g heavier than NX3000
Dimension	110x63x36 mm	111x68x44 mm	117x66x39 mm	A5000 is the smallest among the three camera.
price	$460	$679	$398	A5000 is 219$ cheaper than EOS M3 but is 62$ more expensive than NX3000
built-in Flash	Yes	Yes	No	Both A5000 and EOS M3 are useful in low light.
Battery life	420 shots	250 shots	370 shots	A5000 can shoot more frames with a single charge among the three.
Time lapse recordning	Yes	No	No	Only A5000 has time-lapse recording which can be used for creative shootings.
nfc connection	Yes	Yes	No	Both A5000 and EOS M3 can have easy wireless connection with compatible devices.
External flash shoe	No	Yes	Yes	Both NX3000 and EOS M3 are better for flash photography than A5000.
Touch screen	No	Yes	No	Only EOS M3 has easier control of camera functions through touch screen LCD.
max iso	16.000	25.600	25.600	Both EOS M3 and NX3000 have 60% higher max ISO than A5000.
face detection focus	Yes	Yes	Yes	All three are very handy for portraits.
raw support	Yes	Yes	Yes	All three produces a much better image quality.
smartphone remote control	Yes	Yes	Yes	All three can be remote-controlled through a smartphone.
image stabilization	No	No	No	All three do not have built-in stabilization.
Environmental sealing	No	No	No	All three are not suitable for tough conditions.

Click here to see a more detailed comparison between Sony A5000 and Samsung NX3000 and here for a more detailed comparison between Sony A5000 and Canon EOS M3.

Why choose Sony Alpha A5000? Here are several facts that we have encountered in reading this short review that can answer your question WHY?

1. It is compact: Its is particularly small and is light enough for one person to be able to carry it for a whole day either be it on the person's pocket, bag or in its hand.
2. Perfect for self-portrait: This innovative feature allows the photographer to take pictures and videos while having sight of the display on the LCD screen, making self-portrait a lot better.
3. Simple sharing and control: NFC One-Touch allows Alpha A5000 to be remotely controlled by a compatible device or share pictures from Alpha A5000 to the compatible device. Yeah, many digital cameras have this feature. But what makes Alpha A5000 better than those digital cameras is that...
4. It is in a low price: Alpha A5000 is sold in a low price compared to those digital cameras having the same features as Alpha A5000 but is produced by several known manufacturers, such as Canon (as shown in the comparison above).

To know more info about Sony Alpha A5000 click here and browse the official site of Sony to see for yourself the true answer as to WHY SHOULD SONY ALPHA A5000 BE THE DIGITAL CAMERA FOR YOU.

About the author

Seanne Ednel Cruz is a college student, currently enrolled at Mapua Institue of Technology (MIT), pursuing his dream of becoming a biological engineer. His hobby includes watching Japanese animations, reading books and playing online games.