Which is a better camera Sony Cybershot H400 or Alpha 5000?

[joash.sujan]

I'm in a dilemma to select the right camera. To give a brief about my photography style/ goal. I take still photography of buildings, gardens with a closeup of the flowers (like the picture I have attached P.S the picture was taken from google,) , dont take much video, like selfies. In conclusion I like my pictures to have more rich details. I was looking through the specs. There were lot of terms such as CMOS, CCD, ISO which I dont understand as I'm not a professional photographer. Can anyone explain what those terms mean help me select the right camera? Also, if you have another camera under 450 bucks which is better than the sony options I gave and suffices my photography goals, please let me know.

 

[cherylynne1]

(First things first...you aren't allowed to post photos that don't belong to you. You are allowed to post a link to the photo. Probably best to edit your original post before a moderator does!)

The a5000 is an interchangeable lens camera, which means you can purchase additional lenses for speciality purposes. The Cybershot is a fixed lens camera, which means what it has is what you get.

If you don't ever plan to buy another lens, I don't recommend buying an interchangeable lens camera.

The two cameras are also different in that the sensor of the a5000 is much, much larger than the cybershot. This means that it can take good pictures in lower light situations, and that it has more dynamic range, which can help with lightening shadows or darkening highlights in post processing (like Lightroom or Photoshop.)

If you don't plan on using editing programs for post processing and intend to only use the jpegs straight from the camera, you probably don't need the a5000. The situations you mentioned are not low light situations, so the benefits of using the a5000 are also not needed. Close-up photos are sometimes easier with small sensor cameras, actually. However...if you want true macro photos, you can purchase a specialty macro lens for the a5000, which will give you incredibly detailed photos. But it would require some work to learn how to use and everything.

If you want to have a basic camera that you keep on automatic mode, a point and shoot like the cybershot would be a better choice. But if you want a camera that will be your first step towards taking professional photos, the a5000 would be a better choice. Just remember that it will be the beginning of spending money, not the end.

If you want something that comes in between the two, consider the Sony RX-100. I think the original can be found around your budget. It has a larger sensor than the cybershot, which will help in low light situations (although it won't do as well as the a5000) and it's still a fixed lens point and shoot, which means you won't spend more money down the road and it can be left on auto mode.

 

[jcdeboever]

The image quality should be better with the A5000 because of the larger sensor and also perform better in low light. Of course you will have to buy a lens as well.