Cameras

Sony A5100 review: Your next compact vlogging camera

Small and with a selfie screen!

Published

July 4, 2018

Isa Rodriguez

My needs for a camera are different. While others opt for all the frills and functionalities that come with a full-on camera and shooting rig, there are other things I tend to prioritize when looking for a camera — like it being in a size that my frail arms can actually carry. (Seriously, how do vloggers carry those heavy cameras with just one arm? 😱)

Sure, I want good photos and videos, but I also really need a camera small enough to fit inside my purse.

My grab-and-go vlogging attitude, in tandem with my tinier body frame and the small shoulder bags I bring when I run around, are all considerations when looking for a shooter I plan to use.

These things considered, the Sony A5100 looked like a good contender for being my next vlogging camera. But, was it?

Look and feel

The Sony A5100 is a pretty compact mirrorless camera — one of the smallest in the market. This thing was pretty easy to bring on my trips and events, even without a dedicated camera bag.

I got to play with the white unit, which made for a good camera look. The matte white finish certainly made it stand out from all the bland black cameras in the market.

It’s really the lens that makes up the bulk of this camera’s size — it’s almost as thick as the camera body. But, it’s the price you pay for having interchangeable lenses.

Up top is the shutter button and a dial that lets you zoom in and out. There’s also a movie record button and another button that makes the flash pop out.

You can find most of the controls on the back of the camera. There are dedicated buttons for “Menu,” “Playback,” and “?” — which gives you basic photography tips at the press of a button.

A series of button pressing and dial turning will navigate you through the camera menu and bring up anything you need the camera to do. It might take a while to get familiar with everything; and for those who like tactile camera controls, it might prove to be annoying.

The three-inch screen has touch capabilities but the best thing about it, though, is this:

Yep, not only is it easier to shoot because of the hinge, you can even go as far as entering selfie mode which is a big help for vlogging or composing timer photos on a tripod. Hooray for flippity screens!

Ready, set, shoot!

The A5100 is a good shooter. Focusing is fast and photos are crisp and bright. That bokeh mode effect is achievable with the stock 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens it came with. Here are a few unedited samples:

: That color

: Portraits 🔥

: That creamy bokeh

: For the foodies

: Moments captured

: Quick shutter speed for action like this

: Lowlight sample

: Running after the dogs!

I’m definitely a sucker for any camera’s tap to focus capabilities, and this one isn’t an exception. However, I did find that the touchscreen capabilities are limited to this, which is a bummer for menu navigation or even photo and video playback.

Nevertheless, the A5100 was fun to shoot with. It’s light and looks good so I looked great with it. 😉

The big question: Is it a good enough shooter for your Instagram feed?

I sought to answer this question with a mini shoot. I took MJ, our resident IGBFF (that’s Instagram best friend forever, for those who are uninformed), and we did an IG challenge. Armed with this camera, we spent 30 minutes in a random well-lit balcony and the resulting photos are as follow:

Thanks to MJ and some pretty sick foreground action, I now have photos to post on my IG. I only did a little editing with Photoshop and Lightroom mobile (because that’s the only editing I’m capable of 😅) and I’m pretty happy with them.

Vlogging time!

Most cameras I review, I use to vlog. In my experience, the A5100 is definitely a good fit for novice vloggers such as myself. First of all, it’s pretty small so it was easier to bring it around — which meant more footage as I always had my camera on me. Trust me, it’s easy to get lazy to bring shooting gear when they’re big and bulky.

I especially love that this entry-level camera has a dedicated movie mode, which is something you’d think is pretty basic in 2018, but there are still new releases out there that don’t offer this specific mode. This is a pain if you want to be able to compose and adjust your settings before shooting the actual video. Thankfully, the A5100 offers this and different movie modes that range from fully manual to programmed auto.

Here are a few clips I put together featuring the time I had with the camera. No, I did not edit further after I strung them together and added music and transitions. (Also, no, this isn’t a full vlog because there’s no way I’m editing one in time for this review’s publishing date. 😂)

The camera shoots in 1080/60p or 24p which is just a bunch of numbers to me but know this: Video quality was good and focus was pretty quick. Again, I especially love that you can tap to focus, even while you’re shooting video. Even the stock lens the camera comes with has a good wider angle that’ll allow you to comfortably vlog without a Joby pod.

Unfortunately, there’s no audio jack or a hot shoe mount on this camera, so you won’t be able to add on a mic or even lights. It also doesn’t shoot in 4K, which isn’t as bad as it sounds since a lot of people don’t shoot in 4K (including me) anyway.

Is the Sony A5100 your next vlogging camera?

For my needs, the A5100 fared pretty well. It ticked off things that I prioritized: It was handy enough to bring around everywhere, it has a flippity screen, and content quality did not disappoint.

If you’re the type who loves to point and shoot, whether it be photos or videos, but want a capable entry-level camera that will give you more options when you do need it, the Sony A5100 may be for you.

Sure, it may not be able to do all the fancy shmancy stuff pro cameras can do, but it’s an easy camera to learn on. I found it to be one of the most enjoyable vlogging cameras I’ve tried.

The Sony A5100 retails for US$ 550 in the US and PhP 34,999 in the Philippines.

Related Topics:A5100 featured Sony Sony A5100

Cameras

Sony announces new FX5 full-frame camera

Newly-developed sensor, Open Gate recording, more enhanced capabilities

Published

July 23, 2026

GadgetMatch

Sony has launched the new FX5 full-frame camera in its Cinema Line series with enhanced capabilities.

The camera is equipped with a newly-developed fully stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor and the latest high-speed BIONZ XR2 image processing engine, which includes a dedicated AI processing unit.

When shooting in S-Log3, the camera achieves 15+ stops of dynamic range. The broad latitude and low-noise performance enable seamless roll-off from highlights to shadows and natural texture reproduction, even in high-contrast scenes.

Three Base ISOs of ISO 800, ISO 4000, and ISO 12800 enable low-noise image expression under a wide range of conditions.

Moreover, Dual Gain Shooting function, supported for the first time in the FX series, maximizes the performance of the image sensor to enable smooth gradation reproduction with even wider latitude, while effectively reducing noise without compromising shadow detail.

For the first time in the Cinema Line FX series, the FX5 supports Open Gate shooting, as well as in-camera recording in X-OCN, Sony’s proprietary RAW format.

This includes a variety of scan modes like 17:9, 16:9, and super 35mm. This allows for flexible angle-of-view selection for the user’s creative intent.

The camera is capable of shooting in 5K at up to 60 frames per second, in 4K up to 120 frames per second and in FHD up to 240 frames per second.

These features bring together the Cinema Line look and operability designed to meet the needs of production environments in a compact, highly portable body.

The Sony FX5 will also include two new optional accessories: a detachable OLED viewfinder and an XLR Handle that enables recording in-camera at up to 96 kHz, 32-bit float.

The camera system incorporates expertise that Sony has cultivated through the development of Cinema Line cameras, which have earned high praise from cinematographers and video creators around the world.

Price, availability

The ILME-FX5 with XLR Handle Unit (SG$ 7,199) and ILME-FX5B Body Only (SG$ 6,399) will be available for pre-order until August 9.

The DVF-EL1 OLED Detachable Viewfinder (SG$ 899) and VMC-BNCU1 Timecode Adapter Cable (SG$ 129) will be available after Mid-August.

Meanwhile, the XLR-H2 XLR Handle (SG$ 1,099) will be available by special order.

On July 28, the FX5 will also be on display atThe Arts House At The Old Parliament from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., giving creators the chance to experience it for the first time.

Cameras

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P launches with dual lenses and a 1-inch sensor

The biggest upgrade yet to DJI’s compact gimbal camera

Published

June 29, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The original Osmo Pocket launched in 2018 as a pocket-sized gimbal camera for people who wanted smooth footage without carrying a full rig. DJI has been building on that idea ever since, and today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, they made the biggest jump yet.

A significant change

The most significant change in the Osmo Pocket 4P is the introduction of a dual-lens system. While previous Osmo Pocket models limited creators to a single, fixed field of view, the 4P provides two distinct options.

The camera features a wide-angle lens backed by a new 1-inch CMOS sensor alongside a 60mm medium-telephoto portrait lens boasting an f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. This second lens fundamentally changes how creators shoot on the ground.

At the 60mm focal length, backgrounds compress naturally to separate the subject from the environment without relying on artificial software rendering, offering an invaluable tool for capturing people at events, during travel, or throughout daily life.

The wide lens captures 17 stops of dynamic range through what DJI calls LOFIC technology, which handles high-contrast scenes like backlit windows or golden hour without blowing out the sky or burying the shadows.

Advanced sensor tech, color latitude

For high-contrast environments, the wide-angle lens captures an impressive 17 stops of dynamic range utilizing DJI’s new LOFIC technology.

This hardware addition allows the camera to effortlessly manage difficult lighting scenarios, like backlit windows or golden hour horizons, keeping the sky intact while preventing shadows from turning muddy.

On the color processing side, DJI has introduced a 10-bit D-Log 2 profile capable of recording over a billion colors. This shift provides editors with significantly more latitude to grade footage in post-production, avoiding the limitations of a baked-in, in-camera look.

High-speed motion, smart framing

In terms of capturing motion, the 4P supports 4K slow motion at 240fps, making it ideal for fast-moving subjects that benefit from a stylized, slowed-down perspective.

A slow shutter video mode is also included, allowing users to organically capture light trails in low-light environments. Physical stabilization continues to rely on a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, drawing directly from the heritage of DJI’s professional Ronin systems.

Weighing just 230 grams, the compact unit incorporates ActiveTrack 8.0 to handle automated subject tracking, maintaining precise focus through the entire 12x digital zoom range — a feature that proves essential for solo creators who need the hardware to handle framing duties.

Practical updates for daily use

DJI has also focused heavily on the realities of on-the-go shooting. The 4P introduces gesture controls, letting users trigger subject tracking or start recording without physically touching the device.

A new 4K Live Photo mode automatically captures a 1.5-second clip alongside every still image, while the main sensor allows for high-resolution 37-megapixel photos that offer plenty of room for cropping in post-production.

The battery charges from zero to 80 percent in just 18 minutes and delivers up to 210 minutes of runtime on a full charge.

Furthermore, files transfer via USB 3.1 at speeds up to 800 MB/s, ensuring that offloading a full day of content is a near-instant process.

Price, availability

The camera launches in both classic black and pearl white, accompanied by a modular accessory ecosystem and DJI Care Refresh protection plans.

It retails for PhP 37,790 for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard. Meanwhile, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo retails for PhP 42,290.

Cameras

Inside an OCR training day with Bring Your Game

Captured on the Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Published

June 19, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The first leg of Spartan Race’s Philippine National Series doesn’t wait for anyone.

We joined an OCR team, BGY BYG aka Bring Your Game, at Bridgetowne Obstacle Park as they put themselves through an obstacle course race simulation. I brought the Canon EOS R6 Mark III to document every athlete giving their best.

Shooting under direct midday sun is its own challenge. The 32.5MP sensor handled the harshness of open daylight without blowing out detail. The 40fps electronic shutter and Pre-continuous shooting meant we were already in the frame before the moment fully happened.

Athletes were moving fast and in every direction, but the 8.5-stop IBIS kept every shot steady as we moved alongside them.

The Dual Pixel CMOS AF II stayed locked mid-sprint, mid-climb, and everywhere in between.

This is what race prep looks like up close.