Sony a5100

The a5100 is a compact mirrorless camera Sony released in 2014. It pairs an APS-C sensor with a body weighing 283 grams, small enough to slip into a jacket pocket with a slim lens attached.

There is no viewfinder, so every shot is composed on the rear screen. That keeps the body slim, and it suits photographers who are comfortable shooting at arm's length.

The Sony E mount is the lens system here, so lens choices are made within that range. All told, this camera suits travellers and everyday photographers who want something small with room to try different lenses.

Resolution is a strength here. The 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor captures plenty of detail, handled by the Bionz X processor, and that resolution leaves room to crop or print large. Sensitivity spans ISO 100 to 25600, a broad nominal range.

Its Optics score of 66 is a good result, placing it around the middle of cameras in our database for Optics. In practice the fundamentals are solid without anything exceptional.

Autofocus draws on 179 points, giving you plenty of choice in where to place focus. Shooting runs to 6 frames per second, enough for casual action such as children or pets, though that figure is the peak rate rather than a sustained promise.

Two constraints shape how you shoot. There is no in-body stabilisation, so steadying the image depends on your lens or your technique. The shutter also tops out at 1/4000 second, which limits how wide you can open the aperture in bright light.

Video recording is available but modest, matching its video score of 56. Full HD is the resolution ceiling, so there is no 4K option for high-resolution production. For casual clips, family videos and web uploads, Full HD still works well.

The fastest video frame rate on offer is 60fps. That gives smoother motion for moving subjects and allows a small slowdown in editing without stutter. Resolution and frame rate are separate limits, so check which recording combinations the camera supports.

Recordings are saved as MP4 or AVI, two widely supported formats that most editing software will handle.

There is no built-in timelapse function, so time-lapse projects need external triggering or stills assembled in post.

Handling centres on the 3-inch LCD. It is a touchscreen with 921,600 dots, giving a reasonably detailed view, and touch control makes on-screen interaction quicker. The screen also flips, which helps when you shoot from the hip or hold the camera overhead.

WiFi is built in, giving the camera a wireless connectivity option.

A built-in flash is handy for a burst of fill light indoors. Since no external flash support is listed for this body, the built-in unit is the flash option you have.

Protection and extras are thin, which fits a modest features score of 54. There is no weather sealing, so treat rain as a risk, and there is no GPS or Bluetooth. The essentials are present, but the extras are not.

Storage is straightforward. One card slot takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards as well as Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo. With a single slot there is no backup recording, so everything rides on the card inside the camera.

The NP-FW50 battery is rated for 400 shots per charge. That figure is a rating rather than a promise, so real-world endurance may differ and a busy day of shooting may call for a second battery.

There is no USB charging, so batteries charge in an external charger rather than from a power bank. These choices together give the storage and battery section a limited score of 24, and the practical effect is simple: carry a spare battery and treat card space carefully.