Jump to content

Newbie with Questions

slothead
 Share

Recommended Posts

slothead Contributor

slothead

Posted
Posted

Hi Folks, I'm new to Sony (I'm a Nikon guy so I'm not completely new, and an Oly guy as well) and I wanted a really small and capable camera that was NFC-able with a fair-sized sensor.  The new a5100 seemed to have fit the bill, so I acquired one.  There are some "cons" but not many, and so far I am satisfied with my acquisition.  But I have some general questions about the overall E-mount line.

 

Because I was looking for SMALL, I was looking for a pancake, so I acquired a 20mm f/2.8 lens along with the camera (it was spec'ed as 0.8 thin), but when it arrived I found it looked a lot thicker (like >1.5" thick).  The I realized that much of that extra thickness was the rear cap, and then discovered that the front cap was in two pieces.  One regular front cap that "squeezed" off, and a second piece that twisted off reducing the lens to that 0.8 final dimension (so I was happy about that).  I'm really curious why the two-part front cap.

 

In general what is a good set of lenses to carry around with the camera and still respect its small size?  And what is the interchangeablility of Sony lenses?  Does everything that says E-mount on it work with the ILCE-5100?

 

Thanks all

Link to post
Share on other sites
andyf Newbie

andyf

Posted
Posted

For small lenses either the 30mm Sigma 2.8 or 35mm Sony 1.8 (stabilized) are good small primes. The power zoom is obviously tiny, and its stabilized, but its a kit-quality lens... given that I use it half the time for its convenience. The 16mm Sony 2.8 is the brother to the 20mm you currently have, not sure if you would want both. From memory, everything else is larger by a significant margin! But you may be interested in carrying a single larger and longer-focal length lens like a telezoom or a 50mm Sony/60mm Sigma, depending on your needs.

 

Any E-mount lens will work with any E-mount camera, as far as I'm aware. Only caveat is the APS-C lenses on the full-frame A7 series will enable the cropped sensor mode (or result in distortion/vignetting/etc otherwise). Sony labels the full-frame E-mount lenses with FE, and every lens including these is compatible with the A5100.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • michelb
      A7 R5 flash settings

      By michelb · Posted

      Camera should be set to forced flash even if you intend to use it off camera since the Godox system does not require to place the body in the WL position
    • Alan J
      A7 R5 flash settings

      By Alan J · Posted

      Godox off camera
    • jonheres
      Sony ZV-E10 II – Continuous Autofocus Speed and Sensitivity

      By jonheres · Posted

      Problem Description – Sony ZV-E10 II A few weeks ago, I purchased my Sony ZV-E10 II camera from Digital Photo Supply. The unit is updated to the latest available firmware and is showing an abnormal behavior in the continuous autofocus system (AF-C), which can be consistently reproduced under different conditions and with various native Sony lenses. Observed Symptoms The parameters for focus transition speed (AF Transition Speed) and subject shift sensitivity (AF Subject Shift Sensitivity) do not remain stable. When the camera encounters a point or surface with low texture or contrast and takes time to focus, instead of maintaining smooth “focus breathing” according to the settings, it makes a sudden jump to focus. From that moment, autofocus behaves as if the speed were set to the highest value, completely ignoring the configured settings. After a few seconds, or when reframing, the system resumes normal operation. This phenomenon occurs even with Active Stabilization, Face/Eye AF, and Touch Tracking turned off. Testing Methodology Tests were conducted under various lighting conditions, both high-contrast and flat light. Different subjects were positioned at varying depth distances but laterally aligned (scenarios with partially overlapping elements). Medium and low focus transition speeds and medium or low subject sensitivity settings were used—these are the cinematic parameters I normally work with. All tests were performed exclusively with native Sony lenses, varying light and contrast levels to check behavioral consistency. Under these conditions, the camera consistently showed instances where, when using Spot Focus (S/M/L), it would momentarily lose focus and, upon regaining it, start focusing instantly on any new subject as the camera moved—completely ignoring the configured transition speeds. Control Camera Used A Sony ZV-E10 (Mark I) was used as a reference with identical lenses, settings, subjects, and lighting conditions. It passed all tests successfully without reproducing the issue. Impact on Professional Use This malfunction is catastrophic for my professional video work, where precise and fluid focus transitions are critical. When the system ignores transition speed and sensitivity settings, the footage becomes unusable, directly affecting visual continuity and cinematic quality. If this behavior cannot be corrected, the camera is unsuitable for professional video use, as it compromises focus system stability and predictability.

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...