Sony A5000 Camera Review with Sample Photos, Strengths, Weaknesses, Qualities, and What to Expect

This has been an exceedingly hard camera review to author. The Sony A5000 is a completely unremarkable camera. And that simple fact represents both its greatest strength and weakness. Let’s cut to the chase: The A5000 is an entry-level camera and there are a lot of people who will tell you that’s a bad thing. It’s not. The A5000 is a good, but imperfect, camera that will be ideal for the majority of its intended users. I like the A5000, and I think it’s an ideal step up when cell phone photography becomes too limiting, and we’ll get to that, but first let’s do a quick rundown on the camera’s major plusses and minuses so that, if this is a camera you’re looking at, you know what to expect.

The A5000 held the tier at the bottom of the Sony 5000-series lineup. There are some corners cut with it – the sensor is a key issue and if you shoot ultra-fast lenses the short edges of your images will turn magenta. That effect, by the way, is based on the lens and is not uniform across all lenses. In fact, the Funleader 18mm f/8, hardly a fast lens, has that same effect. But unless you plan to use this camera with after-market ultra-fast lenses like the KamLan 50mm f/1.1, or the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2, or even the Meike 50mm f/1.7, you aren’t likely to have issues. And the kit 16-50mm lens this camera included certainly delivered no magenta tinting issues.

A second concern is the screen, which, on mine, that I bought new, started showing horizontal lines around image 1,000 during use number seven or eight. And those lines have worsened and, in time, I expect they will lead to the screen failing.

Those points acknowledged, let’s talk about why this is a fantastic camera. It’s light and it’s small; in fact, I think it’s the lightest and smallest interchangeable lens camera I’ve used. With the Funleader lens it’s not much larger than a cell phone. With the kit 16-50mm lens it can fit in most pockets and purses. It’s not a camera for which you would even need a strap, certainly nothing more than a wrist strap, most of the time. And the screen flips up horizontally which means you can hold the camera below you in landscape mode and have your images deliver a bit of low-angle drama.

The sensor delivers good colors with much saturation. The raw files are readily editable in post with a good amount of editing and image recovery capacity. So if you want a camera that you can grow into raw editing with, this is a great choice. The A5000 has all the key features that you will need. It’s a good camera and I like carrying it around with me because it’s easy to use, fun to use, and tiny.

For image quality, the sensor does hit somewhat above its belt in most every situation. And for a camera that even an unskilled magician could palm easily, that’s impressive. It does not take 4K video, only 1080P, but that’s a tradeoff that likely stems from a lower-spec onboard computer and reduced heat dispersion capabilities. And you know what, that’s fine. This camera is really good at stills and if you’re interested in this camera it should be an interest primarily geared toward still imagery anyway.
And yes it is super light but that lack of weight comes at a price. The camera is not as well made as others, though that said it’s fallen out of my pocket on a hikes three or four times, once rolling ahead of me down a path five or six feet, but none of those drops affected it. So the camera feels very light and feels a bit plasticky, but its takes abuse like a punch-drunk pugilist.
There are some weird software limitations on it, too. For instance, you can enlarge your live view area for fine focus, but the screen goes back to the normal view after just a few seconds, making manual focus lens use a frustration. And I can think of no reason for that, shy of sensor overheating which seems unlikely given that other Sony cameras don’t have that automatic return function. So I suspect that the software is simply impaired because this was an entry-level camera and some of the camera makers do use software limitations to reduce camera functionality on some lower-tier models.

Ultimately, I think that the best thing I can say about the A5000 is this: It can do whatever you need it to, do it generally well, and do so in a light and small body that’s nice to carry around. I like shooting the A5000. It like taking it with me and seeing what I can make it do. It’s a fun camera. It’s designed for the user. It can take any kind of photo you want to take with it. It packs a whole lot of great image quality and color rendition into a tiny, affordable package. So I guess the takeaway is this: If you have or are thinking about this camera, it’s probably good a choice for still images because it’s easy and light enough that carrying it won’t be a bother and it’s fun and easy enough to use that you’ll want to do just that.
#SonyA5000 #SonyA5000Review #SonyMirrorlessReview

[CommentRodent]

I personally own a Sony a5000 and use it for all my videos. I love using it with super small lenses like the TTartisans 23mm f1.4, 7artisans 50mm f0.95, and the Sony 55-210mm f4.5-6.3.

[evolexpeditions]

I very much agree with this review. I carry my A5000 almost everywhere I go. I've had the camera since 2014 and have had no issues at all. I use the 16-50 kit lens and the Sony 55-210mm when I need reach. I've been shooting with an A7II for some years now as well. I often don't take the A7II when I'm just going out to do daily running around town but the A5000 is so small and light, I try to take it everywhere. It really is a fun camera to have with you all the time. When I have the camera with me, I usually don't use my Iphone for photos. RAW editing is very good with the images this camera produces.

[rebeccaaquino]

Hello, I just came across your video as I research info on the Sony A5000. I purchased this camera back in 2015 and have used it very little. I am now interested in pursuing photography such as portraits, and would like to know If it
would be wise to purchase new lenses, like the sigma 56mm f1.4 or if I should invest instead
on a newer camera before buying lenses? Thank you!

[marialuizamotadasilva]

Would you recommend this for jewellery photography? For a small online brand?

[reedeema]

Hey .. Any overheating issues with longer vids ? Thx

[Onomast]

What Lens can be seen in the Thumbnail?

[Кто-То-ъп]

I'm sorry, I don't speak English and I use a translator
Very beautiful pictures!!
I have a same camera.
What kind of lens do I need to buy to get such a same photos?

[vurujak]

i keep seeing fog in these photos.. is it me or is it the photos

[mukeshjoshi]

Is this camera good to take random clicks in motion as well as close-ups with its high zoom ?

Please help me
I want to purchase only sony cameras
Because currently i am using Sony "DSC H300" and i find it's not suitable for random motion clicks and videography because of its poor and delaying focus

[KarolosAthens]

Very good images Like Pro " but Video with many noise S/N Polychronis Kotsikas Athens

[JimIBobIJones]

Bad value camera in 2014 and trash in 2020s. Its a massive downgrade in features and specs from the Nex 5R/T and doesn't hold a candle to the a5100 or a6000.

[photomaster]

Interesting take on A5000, thank you for this.

[Akahigep]

I have my A7 when I want a full frame sensor but my a5000 is my "compact camera". The kit lens is perfectly fine for me anywhere

[hoorayforpentax]

Let's face it, David - anyone who watches this channel regularly is statistically more likely to buy this camera to put old glass on. This sounds like the sort of camera you mount to a lens rather than the other way around.

[Muffincakeswithsugar]

thank you for the informative and professional review

[robertleeluben]

Bummer about the screen, I don't think they all do this at least mine didn't. It's around 3000 clicks in and still like new (knock on wood)

[SpricesExist]

I feel like the main market for this one right now is for filming/video because although it's also good for photography, there's better stuff for this price used. It's 100-150 bucks used rn and there's no other options even close to this in terms of video quality at this price.

[xerces]

Hello! I recently got a A5000, and i was wondering what your settings looked like? If you don’t mind sharing! I’m really interested int taking photos like yours and especially ones of my dog!(: Thank you

[velocityra]

Do you have any examples of the short edges turning magenta? Is it just like chromatic aberration that can be removed in post?
Because I do want to use this with a Kamlan 50mm F/1.1 or similar.

[theuktoday]

Ive been using mine for the last 5 years alongside newer high spec full frame Sony cameras for agency images and have never had a problem with them, I have now paired it with a 7artisans 35mm f1.4 manual lens for black and white images and its a marriage made in heaven.