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Sony has been making cameras for long enough to know what its doing, and it hasn't produced any duds in some time. The a5000 joins the list as another reliable, solidly built compact system camera which will particularly appeal to beginner cameras.
It's ideally pitched at those looking for their first interchangeable lens camera, while its size and body shape make it likely to appeal to those who are stepping up from a mobile phone or compact camera.
The a5000 is capable of producing some great quality images which are packed with detail, are great at high sensitivities and have beautiful, warm colours. The kit lens is a decent performer, while the lens range for Sony E-mount cameras is good, and growing, so it's a system you can buy into and grow with.
On the one hand, it's true that Sony puts a lot of thought into the way that people want to use its cameras, with options to customise buttons being a welcome one. On the other hand, some options are just that little bit more difficult than they should be. It shouldn't be so fiddly to change the autofocus point for instance.
We feel like we're repeatedly banging the same drum here, but a touchscreen would make this operation so much easier. Given that this camera is aimed at beginners who are probably used to touchscreens and Sony has this technology at its disposal, it's pretty disappointing that it chooses not to include one on its cameras.
It's nice though that the camera includes a tilting screen. As it only tilts up, it's not particularly useful for several angles, but for users who want to take self-portraits or shoot video, it is helpful.
There's plenty here to appeal to the creative photographer, with a range of digital filters being particularly appealing. It's also nice to have a panoramic mode, and Creative Styles for when you want to shoot in raw format. Again though, it's disappointing that digital filters can only be shot in JPEG only, not least because you'll need to dive into the menu and switch raw shooting off when you want to use them.
If you can possibly stretch to the extra cash, then the NEX-5T might be a wiser investment for those who might want something a little more advanced in the future. Not only does it produce great images, but it also has a touchscreen and an accessories port if you did want to attach a viewfinder or external flash.
We liked
This camera's small size is its headline feature, and Sony has done a good job of miniaturising to make a very small APS-C format camera. Although it's not as small as the Panasonic GM1, the sensor size is also significantly larger, so that's worth bearing in mind. The kit lens also retracts into itself, making the overall package small enough to fit in a large jacket pocket, and very neatly into a kit bag.
We disliked
Although this is an entry-level camera, it would be nice if Sony gave a little bit more for your money at this end of the range. While we appreciate that adding a touchscreen potentially bumps up the cost, it would make some of the frustrations of using the camera virtually non-existent. That aside, images are great, so if you can live with some of those quirks, or you're not the kind of user that is changing settings all that frequently, it is a good buy.
Final Verdict
Another decent, well performing camera from Sony here. The A5000 is a good buy for those looking for their first compact system camera, offering a decent range of options for both beginners and those who are a little more experienced.
