Sony Equivalent to Nikon D5100

[SurferStitch16]

Hello All,

My parents recently surprised me with the Nikon D5100!! I am absolutely in love with the camera. I had the Nikon D40X before it, but this blows that out of the water!! My dad was a big Minolta fan, he has tons of their lenses and since has switched over to Sony when Minolta was taken over. I do always make fun of him, being that I am, as he calls me "A Nikon snob." He currently has the Sony a350, but my mom and I were talking about upgrading him to an even better model. What Sony model is equivalent to the Nikon D5100?? I was looking at the Sony a580, but was also wondering about the Sony a77. Any information would be super helpful and I would really appreciate it!! Thanks guys!!
Happy Shooting!!

 

[ukcatfan]

The A series are different than a DSLR. They have a translucent mirror and no true optical viewfinder. It is a small LCD in the optical viewfinder. That said, if you are planing to surprise him, then it might be tough to know if he would like that.

 

[SurferStitch16]

The A series are different than a DSLR. They have a translucent mirror and no true optical viewfinder. It is a small LCD in the optical viewfinder. That said, if you are planing to surprise him, then it might be tough to know if he would like that.

But he does have the a350 now...is that a different a series than the new a models out now??

 

[ukcatfan]

But he does have the a350 now...is that a different a series than the new a models out now??

DOH! I meant to say Axx series. The ones with only two digits are the translucent mirror ones.

 

[SurferStitch16]

DOH! I meant to say Axx series. The ones with only two digits are the translucent mirror ones.

Haha oh ok phew, I was going to say man Sony makes their cameras confusing. Thanks for telling me that about the Axx series. I am certain he will want the DSLR. Is there a Sony DSLR equivalent to the Nikon?? Thanks so much for the info!!

 

[ukcatfan]

Haha oh ok phew, I was going to say man Sony makes their cameras confusing. Thanks for telling me that about the Axx series. I am certain he will want the DSLR. Is there a Sony DSLR equivalent to the Nikon?? Thanks so much for the info!!

I would actually say that the A580 outdoes the D5100 a little. It has some better specs in things like burst rate, in-body stabilization, etc. The A77 is going to blow both away, but is going to be somewhat more expensive. BTW, I am not a big Sony fan or something. I actually shoot Pentax.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'd agree that the A580 is probably the closest currently to the Nikon D5100. I believe they have the same sensor and a few better specs. The A55 would be another option and again has the same sensor but has the translucent mirror and EVF. Overall it's operation is much like a DSLR but differs due to the lack of the moving mirror. With the translucent mirror there are some plusses such as fast fps, auto focus in the video and you are able to see the metering in the view finder or using the live view. However - if you are willing then it might be worth the wait to see what the A77 comes out as. Any of them will be a nice upgrade to the A350.

 

[zackiedawg]

Agreed - the A580 is the closest equivalent to the D5100. In fact, they share the very same Sony made sensor! The A580 is probably just a notch above the D5100 in classification - it came out with that sensor around the same time Nikon released the D7000 with the same sensor...the A580 would be classified below the D7000, but just above the D5100. All three actually share the same sensor.

If your dad has the A350, and likes it, the A580 should be an excellent choice. It has all the same unique features and abilities as the A350, including the in-body stabilization, the quick live view, the tilting LCD, and the same battery, with each of those things having been significantly improved since his camera. And on top of that, it has added a ton of features that his camera doesn't have, and is many times better in low light/high ISO situations, burst shooting rate, focus speed, focus points, tracking ability, resolution, and has the extremely cool multistack ISO, in-camera HDR, in-camera sweep panorama, electronic level, double live view modes, and more.

The A77 could be interesting, but not a whole lot has been confirmed about it, other than that it will be similar to the A33/55 in sharing their translucent fixed mirror and electronic viewfinder. It will have some capabilities beyond the A5xx series, such as autofocus during video...but also has one small challenge in overcoming a few small issues that the A33/55 had such as a slightly less capable high ISO due to minor light loss through the mirror, overheating issues (which were likely attributable more to the compact body), and occasional ghosting issues during long night exposures on bright lights (due to reflections off the translucent mirror). If you want to be safe and know your dad likes DSLRs, the A580 is the best Sony has made to date, and one of the finest on the entire camera market today...if you want to take more of a chance that your dad might like the new and different SLT technology, then consider waiting for the A77, at least until more is known about it.

 

[SurferStitch16]

Thank you so much for all your responses. We have a lot to think about. Right now I am leaning more towards the A580, but I don't think I really understand the difference between this DSLR and one that has the translucent fixed mirror?? What are the pros and cons to that type of camera?? Does it make it a better camera than a DSLR?? I am sorry for these "newbie" questions. Thanks all so much!!

 

[zackiedawg]

The primary reason Sony developed the "SLT" models with the translucent mirror was to achieve full phase-detect autofocus during video. It's something no DSLRs can do, and they wanted to stand out in that regard. The camera does have some other selling points, some of which come as a result of that fixed mirror...but they're all just residual or side effects that came after they achieved their video focus goal. The differences/advantages of the SLT cameras are: They use an electronic viewfinder rather than optical - it is larger and clear, and shows exposure/focus/color/etc just like LCDs do on P&S cameras / They can shoot faster than most DSLRs, at up to 10 frames per second / they have compact bodies, that are quite small. The disadvantages of these systems are: they have compact bodies, that are quite small (some people prefer larger bodies and bigger grips) / they don't have as good of battery life as the bigger DSLRs / they have had some issues with overheating during long constant use when the steadyshot system is engaged, such as shooting video or lots of burst shots - the small body, fixed mirror which can trap heat, sensor which normally heats up during shooting, and the heat generated by the steadyshot system all combine at once. It's not something most people experience during normal shooting.

It's not better or worse than a DSLR - and in fact is for all reasonable intents and purposes IS a DSLR. Some folks get confused and figure it's in a different class of camera altogether - but it's a DSLR in almost every single manner, with the one exception of the lack of a moving mirror throwing the lens view to an optical viewfinder. The sensor, bodystyle, and general functionality and ability are all the same as DSLRs. It's just different to get that video focusing ability that is so elusive in DSLRs (some DSLRs focus during video, like your Nikon D5100, but very slowly and poorly, using contrast-detection focus systems on lenses not designed for that...the A33/55 focus super-fast using the camera's normal phase-detect focus system, including the ability to reliably track a moving subject quickly). If video were important to a person, I'd recommend the SLT models. If not, then it's their choice depending on the features and designs which they like more. I'm more of an 'A580' guy myself, as I like big, heavier, traditional DSLRs with optical viewfinders.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thank you so much for all your responses. We have a lot to think about. Right now I am leaning more towards the A580, but I don't think I really understand the difference between this DSLR and one that has the translucent fixed mirror?? What are the pros and cons to that type of camera?? Does it make it a better camera than a DSLR?? I am sorry for these "newbie" questions. Thanks all so much!!

As usual Justin outlined the differences very well. I'll just mention from a user's viewpoint that other than the electronic view finder I really don't notice any difference between the SLT's and the DSLR's. They have the same settings, functions, menu's etc, etc. And once you get used to the EVF which is rather like looking at a video monitor (and is really a nice, bright picture) you really don't notice the differences at all IMO. And you gain the ability to see the exposure, WB etc. And the video autofocus is really very good. Because of the EVF there is a slight delay in the image you are viewing so if your Dad shoots lots of fast action sports that would take some getting used to. I used the A55 last night for the first time at a rodeo and it took a few sequences before I felt better with any panning and I think I could still use more practice. Slower action or stills are virtually identical to using a DSLR. The A580 (and the A550 I've used) are no slouches in the frames per second but the A55 with 10fps is very good.

The A55 would be slightly smaller and lighter weight than the A350 and the A580 would be slightly larger than the A350.

 

[polkadotminnie]

if your Dad shoots lots of fast action sports that would take some getting used to. I used the A55 last night for the first time at a rodeo and it took a few sequences before I felt better with any panning and I think I could still use more practice. Slower action or stills are virtually identical to using a DSLR.

Does the camera have difficulty with the panning or is it just something that takes getting used to? I have the a500 but I played with the a55 in the Sony store last week. I loved the 10fps. I shoot mainly inside sports but can't afford a really expensive camera. I have a fast 70-200 2.8 lens. Also did you have trouble getting used to the smaller grip? The a500 does fit my hand well. Thanks for any advice!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Does the camera have difficulty with the panning or is it just something that takes getting used to? I have the a500 but I played with the a55 in the Sony store last week. I loved the 10fps. I shoot mainly inside sports but can't afford a really expensive camera. I have a fast 70-200 2.8 lens. Also did you have trouble getting used to the smaller grip? The a500 does fit my hand well. Thanks for any advice!

It doesn't have a hard time panning per se, but the slight lag time that you have because of the electronic viewfinder makes it a little more difficult and requires an adjustment. I did the best when I was slightly leading what appeared in the viewfinder to be the action. Once I adjusted to that I was pretty much getting centered shots although it left me feeling a bit like I was just guessing. But I don't shoot that type of action often so I don't really know if it would become second nature or not. I do know that after a couple of runs though I was able to greatly improve over what I was getting to start with. And it did a great job with focus. I really only had to change how I was panning when shooting a barrel horse running at top speed and a motorcyle doing a jump. Anything slower did not really require any difference. The 10 fps is awesome!!

I've been pleasantly surprised that the grip hasn't bothered me. Other than wishing for a little more height to it my hand actually conforms better than with the A550. The A700 really had the grip that best fit my hand but with the lighter weight of the A55 I've been fine with the ergonomics.

 

[zackiedawg]

Just guessing as I've not used the A55 that way, but my guess is for indoor sports type action, I can't see the camera having any real problem with panning. As Kathy mentioned, it isn't the camera's focus speed or burst speed that's the issue, it's the slight electronic viewfinder lag when panning after fast movement or action. Indoor sports typically wouldn't be the fastest subjects and not requiring a ton of panning, so I wouldn't expect much of an issue. It's outdoor sports like the horse running mentioned above, motorsports, or shooting flying birds that would be harder to adapt to. I shoot flying birds a lot, which is one of the things that has kept me away from electronic viewfinders - they'd work for 75-80% of my photography just fine, but about 20% of my work is wildlife/birding with very long lenses, so I've stuck with DSLRs and optical viewfinders for now. Electronic finders actually work very well and have advantages for most types of photography.

 

[polkadotminnie]

Thank you both so much for the information. My husband surprised me and bought the A55 yesterday for our anniversary. I shoot a lot of competition cheer and gymnastics. The lighting is usually poor and they are only on the floor for 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Combine that with multiple girls crossing each other when flipping and it is a big challenge for me. I am getting better. My A500 does pretty well so I will always take it as backup. I guess when I master this type shooting, I will be well on my way to understanding photography.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Congrats on the new camera! I think you'll really enjoy some of the additional features and also don't think you'll have to change much if anything to shoot the indoor events. I'm sure the 10fps will really help with all the flipping going on!