Sony a5100 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Sony A37 has a
16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Sony a5100's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A37's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the a5100 and A37 sensor size comparison.
Sony a5100 and Sony A37 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Sony A37 has 49% larger pixel area (22.87µm2 vs 15.28µm2) compared to Sony a5100, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Sony a5100 and Sony A37 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, a5100 has scored 80, 5 points higher than A37.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony a5100 |
80 |
23.8 bits |
12.7 Evs |
1347 ISO |
Sony A37 |
75 |
23.3 bits |
12.9 Evs |
799 ISO |