Sony Alpha 5000 review – Dynamic range and white balance and colour
Dynamic range
Dynamic range at ISO 100 is 12.2EV, which is average for a camera in this class. When faced with a mix of colours and high contrast, the Bionz X processor in the Alpha 5000 works hard to deliver an image that is representative of the overall scene in front of you. Despite the challenge of extremely high-contrast conditions, I saw very little blown-out highlight detail or areas that were completely black.
Image: The vibrant colour reproduction of this image shows how the Alpha 5000 shines when capturing everyday/travel pictures. The camera’s small size means that it is not too intrusive when taking pictures in public
White balance and colour
Auto white balance on the Alpha 5000 functions well, producing natural tones without a noticeable bias towards any one colour. I was particularly impressed with results produced from cityscape images, in which the Alpha 5000 rendered deep and vibrant blues, avoiding oversaturation and without leaving a yellow cast on the rest of the image.
However, when I selected the appropriate white-balance preset for the conditions in which I was photographing, the results were more accurate. In general, I would describe the performance of the Alpha 5000’s white balance as faithful and consistent.
