Sony Squeezes APS-C Sensor Into Smallest Mirrorless

2014.01.07

Sony is proving time and time again that they are the masters of miniaturization. Not only do they have the smallest full-frame digital cameras and the smallest such mirrorless but they are now adding the smallest mirrorless digital camera to their line-up. The really impressive part is that they managed to do it with a standard 1.5X crop APS-C sensor.

The new Sony Alpha A5000 features a 20 megapixels EXMOR high-speed CMOS sensor and a Sony E lens mount, just like their NEX series of mirrorless digital cameras. Barely the height of its mount, the A5000 is 110mm wide and only 36mm thick (1.5"), making it the size of a small compact camera. With battery and memory, it weighs barely 269g. This of course is without lens.

This mirrorless features a quiet mechanical-shutter with a 1/4000 - 30s range of shutter-speeds. It can sustain 3.5 FPS at full-resolution for up to 15 JPEG images and also captures full 1080p HD video, albeit at 24 FPS which is a little slower than its peers. The rear of the camera still manages to fit a large 3" LCD with 460K that tilts up to 180°.

While there are only space for a few physical controls on the A5000, this model still offers full-manual controls, including manual-focus, spot metering and bracketing. It offers built-in WiFi with NFC to make sharing easier.

The Sony Alpha A5000 is scheduled to be available this March for $600 USD, including a 16-50mm power-zoom lens which makes the whole camera and lens rather compact, even for a mirrorless.

• Digital Camera
• CES