Comparison Sony A5100 kit 16-50 vs Sony A6000 kit 16-50

The result shown by the camera in the DxOMark ranking.

DxOMark is one of the most popular and respected resources for expert camera testing. According to the test results, the camera receives a certain number of points; The more points, the higher the final score.

A lens supplied with the camera in a serial (kit) configuration. With it, the camera is ready to work literally “out of the box” - everything needed for shooting is already available, and there is no need to buy a lens separately (as is the case with the “naked body” of the body camera). The vast majority of these are optics with a universal set of medium focal lengths and a relatively low variable aperture ratio. Often, kit lenses have rather modest characteristics, and they are intended mainly for novice users, learning the basics of photography and simple everyday shooting. But there are also other options for whale lenses - top camera models can be equipped with fairly advanced optics. It wouldn’t hurt to clarify this point separately. We also note that the same camera can be supplied with different options for complete optics.

The number of scene programs provided in the camera design.

Scene programs are preset settings for some of the most common shooting scenes - for example, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Sunset, etc. In addition to these presets, this list may include special effects and creative tools (such as color swap or fisheye), as well as exposure modes (see below). The presence of scene programs is especially useful for beginners and non-professional photographers, as it eliminates the need to tinker with each setting separately - just select the most suitable program, and all the necessary settings will be set automatically. The more scene programs the camera design provides, the wider its automatic adjustment capabilities.

The highest number of shots a camera can capture “in one go” in JPEG continuous shooting.

The technical features of modern digital cameras are such that during continuous shooting, photos have to be recorded in a special buffer, and only then, after the end of the series, they can be copied to a memory card. This buffer has a limited size, so the number of frames in one series is also limited. At the same time, we note that this indicator is usually indicated for shooting at the highest possible resolution (see "Maximum image size"); at lower resolutions, the volume of each image is reduced, and the number of frames in the series may turn out to be more than stated in the specifications.

JPEG, the most popular digital photography format today, is smaller and requires less processing power than RAW (see "Recording in RAW Format"). Therefore, in a JPEG series, as a rule, more frames are available to the photographer. However, in some models that have two separate buffers (for RAW and JPEG), it may be the other way around.

The highest number of shots the camera can capture “in one shot” when shooting in RAW format continuously (see “Recording in RAW Format”).

The technical features of modern digital cameras are such that during continuous shooting, photos have to be recorded in a special buffer, and only then, after the end of the series, they can be transferred to a memory card. This buffer has a limited size, so the number of frames in one series is also limited. At the same time, we note that this indicator is usually indicated for shooting at the highest possible resolution (see "Maximum image size"); at lower resolutions, the volume of each image is reduced, and the number of frames in the series may be more than stated in the specifications.

RAW images take up more space and require more processing power than "finished" JPEGs. Therefore, the number of frames in a series of this format is usually lower than that of JPEG. However, there are exceptions — usually these are cameras that have two separate buffers (for RAW and JPEG).

The ability to manually (or automatically, according to predetermined parameters) change the exposure parameters during shooting, that is, the amount of light falling on the matrix. It is used when the automatically selected exposure parameters do not give a satisfactory result — for example, in difficult conditions, when the illumination of the main subject and the background is very different. The camera's exposure compensation capabilities are recorded in the format "± x EV, in y EV increments", such as "± 3 EV, in 1/2 EV increments". The first digit indicates the maximum amount by which the exposure can be changed from the original value by the compensation process; the second is the step (step) with which the change occurs. EV is a specific unit of measure for exposure; a 1 EV change in exposure means a 2x change in the amount of light hitting the sensor. An increase in EV indicates an increase in the amount of light due to opening the aperture or an increase in shutter speed, a decrease indicates the opposite. All modern cameras with exposure compensation function are capable of producing it “in both directions”.

File formats in which the camera can record video. Given that the footage is designed to be viewed on an external screen, you should make sure that the playback device (DVD player, media centre, etc.) is able to work with the appropriate formats. At the same time, many camera models themselves can play the role of a player by connecting to a TV via an audio / video output or HDMI (see the corresponding paragraphs of the glossary). And if the video materials are to be viewed on a computer, you should not pay special attention to this parameter at all: problems with format incompatibility in such cases rarely occur, but are usually solved by installing the appropriate codec.

The presence of the touch focus function in the design of the camera.

Such focus is necessarily combined with a touch screen (see below). It gives the photographer the opportunity to independently choose a point for focus in the frame being shot: for this, it is enough to touch this point on the image displayed on the screen. Touch focus is extremely simple and intuitive, and therefore very convenient, especially for beginners and non-professional users.

The type of viewfinder provided in the design of the camera.

A viewfinder is an eyepiece in which the photographer is able to see the image being shot, and in some cases additional information (the location of autofocus sensors, individual shooting parameters, etc.). Regardless of the type, viewfinders are useful in that they allow you to clearly see the image you are shooting, even in bright ambient light (which can cause displays to “blind”). Their disadvantages are the need to bring the camera close to the face, as well as the inconvenience when working with glasses (although the latter is partly offset by diopter correction in the viewfinder itself). The types of viewfinders can be as follows:

— Electronic. Such a viewfinder is a system of lenses with a small screen behind them. It is widely used in advanced cameras with non-replaceable lenses (see "Camera Type"), can be used in MILC cameras, and relatively recently full-fledged " SLRs " have appeared (in particular, made according to the so-called "translucent mirror technology") equipped with electronic viewfinders. The advantage of such a viewfinder is that, in addition to the image itself, it can display a large amount of service information (for example, about shooting parameters); the main disadvantage is the need to supply power from the battery (although the power consumption of such a system is still much lower than that of an...external display).

— Optical. In this case, an optical viewfinder means an independent system with its own eyepiece and lens, built into the camera body and directed parallel to the optical axis of the lens (mirror and prism systems are separated into separate categories). Such a system can be located both directly above the lens and in the corner of the body. The advantages of optical viewfinders are simplicity, low cost and compactness, due to the absence of a complex system of mirrors or prisms in the design. Such a viewfinder can be used in any non-reflex cameras (classic digital or MILC). The main disadvantage of this option is the mismatch between the position of its lens and the main lens of the camera (the so-called parallax effect); in most cases, this does not create inconvenience, but when shooting at close distances, you have to take an amendment (although there are camera models with viewfinders that automatically correct).

— Optical and electronic. A specific type of viewfinder that combines elements of both systems described above. Usually, such structures are based on an optical viewfinder, which provides for the possibility of projecting various service information onto a visible image. And in some models, the system can also be switched to a fully electronic mode, blocking the access of light through the optics and observing only the picture on the screen through the viewfinder.

— Optical (mirror). As the name implies, the design of such a viewfinder is based on a system of mirrors. Through this system, the real image perceived by the camera lens is fed into the viewfinder eyepiece (in other words, the photographer is actually looking directly through the lens). SLR viewfinders are used exclusively in cameras of the corresponding type (see above). Their advantages are the absence of the parallax effect and the ability to immediately evaluate a number of shooting parameters, such as depth of field, the effect of installed light filters, etc. The main disadvantage of reflex viewfinders is the need to raise the mirror at the time of shooting. This complicates and increases the cost of the design, makes it less reliable, and the operation of the mirror lifting mechanism can cause vibrations and the “stirring” effect.

— Optical (pentaprism). In fact, it is a kind of mirror viewfinder (see above), in which the role of a part of the mirrors is assigned to a pentaprism — a glass structure of a special shape. The action of the pentaprism is based on the effect of the so-called total internal reflection; it is believed that in this way it is possible to achieve a brighter and clearer image than when using classic mirrors. Other advantages and disadvantages are identical to conventional reflex viewfinders (see above). The pentaprism is widely used in mirror devices.

— Is absent. The complete absence of a viewfinder in the design of the camera; For sighting in such models, a display is used. This feature is typical mainly for digital compacts (see "Type of camera"). Firstly, the dimensions of the body of such models often do not allow for a viewfinder to be included in the design; secondly, the specifics of the use of such cameras is usually such that the display is quite enough for them, and sometimes it is even more preferable — for example, when shooting from a non-standard position (above your head, with your arm outstretched in front of you, etc.).