First impression: Sony A5000 camera
Written By Jenny Wu on
As the weather warms up, my husband and I have made it our goal to spend our weekends exploring the city, and one of my must-haves for these trips is my Sony A5000 camera.
I love my old Canon T3 and still use it for most of my blog images, but I wanted something more travel-friendly and better than my iPhone camera. After much debate between the Sony A5000 and Samsung NX Mini, I opted for the slightly larger but better quality Sony A5000:
The Sony A5000 comes with a 16-50mm zoom lens, which seems quite large compared to the actual camera body. However the zoom feature is convenient when you’re on the go and can’t physically move closer to the object.
One of my favorite features is the swivel screen, which is perfect for selfies. This was a must-have feature for me, since I also use it to take selfies for the blog. Ain’t nobody got time to selfie with the clunky Canon T3 (and yes I just turned selfie into a verb).
This camera comes with a popup flash, which I really like. A trick I learned was to push back the flash so that the light shines up rather than directly at the subject. This helps diffuse the light and avoid that harshness found in traditional flash photography.
While the quality still can’t beat my Canon + EF 50mm f/1.8 lens, it’s definitely an improvement from my iPhone. I don’t find myself using the manual setting much at all, since the automatic settings (there’s like 10 different ones) do a great job already. If you take a look at my DC Cherry Blossom Festival post, all the pictures are taken with the Sony A5000 on automatic setting.
Overall I really enjoy the Sony A5000, and can’t wait to use it to capture more of our adventures! At $399, it’s actually more expensive than my old Canon and it took me a while to finally bite the bullet and buy it. If you love taking selfies and have extra money to spend, I do think this is a worthy indulgence. Otherwise there are plenty of other less expensive options to consider, or you can just stick with the camera on your phone.
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Comments & Questions
Elena
What a pretty camera, I'm glad you like it. I am in desperate need of a new digital camera.
Jenny Wu
Thank you Elena! Hope you'll find your perfect digital camera soon!
Connie
Love this review! I honestly almost got it when I was looking at the Canon G7X.
Connie | Sponsored by Coffee | Bloglovin’
Jenny Wu
Thank you Connie! I actually looked at the Canon G7X as well, but it was a bit over my budget :(
Bhairavee
This camera looks great. Not very big and bulky and yet powerful.
Jenny Wu
Thank you Bhairavee! Those were the exact reasons why I bought this camera :D
Cat
Sony makes some great compact cameras! I hadn't heard of the A5000 before, but I'm glad that it's working out well for you. I definitely like having a high-end compact on me when I don't feel like carrying around a bulky DSLR. That's great that the flash has an adjustable head. Bouncing it off a wall or ceiling is a lot better than a direct flash!
Jenny Wu
I agree Cat! I believe the A5000 is supposed to be the newer model of the NEX-3N line, which I was originally considering. However both models were around the same price, so obviously I opted for the newer one ;)
Jessica (@KldscpsPolkaDot)
Honestly, I'm not in the market for a new camera but you certainly made me want one! That flip screen is so handy!! I have a Canon EOSM for taking pictures on the go--I love it but do wish it had a popup screen.No one likes to take pictures of their forehead or arm--unless for artistic purposes.
xoxo
Jessica
Jenny Wu
Thank you for your comment Jessica! I'm surprised that there aren't more cameras with flip screens available, especially considering how people love taking selfies nowadays! I still remember the days when I tried to take a selfie without looking at the screen, definitely got a lot of forehead and arm shots then!
Krystal
I was looking at this camera when I was researching to buy a decent portable camera. I went for the Panasonic GF6 instead, it also has a flip screen too! It's so awesome for selfies right?
Jenny Wu
I agree, a flip screen is a must have for selfies! :D
sam villanueva
Hi!i've been also in a dilemma in what camera to buy.and its also a battle between nx mini and a5000!so this blog helps a lot.been searching the net for sample photos taken from the said cameras.one of my consideration in bu
ying a camera is that i i can post/print straight from the cam,no editing anymore. One question though,why choose a5000 and not nx mini?is it not hard to focus in a5000 since its not touchscreen?im a beginner in terms of photography so its one of my consideration in picking a cam.thanks! ????
Jenny Wu
Hi Sam, thank you for your comment! It took me a long time to make the final decision and I read a lot of different reviews as well. In the end it came down to what I needed this camera for - to replace my phone when so I can take better travel/vacation photos. Since photo quality was a top priority, I ultimately chose the a5000 since does deliver higher quality images compared to the nx mini. Both cameras offer a lot of different photo settings, so you'll have no problem taking good pictures in either one. Often times I upload the photos straight from the camera to my phone without any editing and it still looks great! I'm used to a non-touchscreen anyways on my Canon DSLR so that wasn't an issue for me, but if you don't mind sacrificing image quality for user friendliness, then I'd recommend the nx mini. Hope this helps!
Keliee
Hi! I'm mentioning the Sony a5000 in one of my blog posts, and I need a casual and bright photo of it. Can I borrow a picture of the sony a5000 camera you took? I'll credit you and link back to your blog. :)
Jenny Wu
Hi Keliee! Sure, no problem, I appreciate you asking and offering the link back :) Looking forward to seeing your post!