The Best Selfie Stick For Sony A5100 Cameras!
In the age where being a social media influencer is one of the most highly sort after jobs it is no surprise that we see so many people reaching out and asking for advice on a number of different selfie stick related questions. On top of this, the Sony a5100 is a very popular camera that has a large number of photographers using it as their go-to camera body of choice so it is no surprise that we see so many people reaching out and asking for the best selfie stick for Sony a5100 owners.
Now, the main issue with the first and second generation selfie sticks on the market is that they were only ever designed to work with light cameras such as smartphones or action cameras. They are way to flimsy for an a5100 coming in at 0.62 pounds of payload weight plus the additional weight of any other camera accessories like your camera lens. Thankfully though, there is definatley hope as these new, next-generation selfie sticks have been specifically designed to be able to support mirrorless and light DSLR camera rigs in addition to smartphones and action cameras.
In our opinion, the Fugetek FT-568 is without a doubt the best next-generation selfie stick that is a very popular option amongst mirrorless camera owners. Since its release onto the market, its superior build quality has made it the obvious stick of choice amongst the community and ensured that it has managed to win the largest market share by far. On top of this, the stick also has an absolutely outstanding reputation amongst photographers too.
Performance And Functionality
So many compeating next-generation selfie sticks on the market right now do say that they are able to support heavier cameras such as the a5100 and although they can, they also say in their small print that it is not supported at maximum length. This can really have an effect on the amount of background behind you that you are able to capture in your selfie, even with a wide-angle lens on your a5100. Thankfully, this is not a problem with the Fugetek FT-568 as it supports your a5100 all the way up to and including its forty-nine-inch maximum length.
The stick also comes with the standard quarter-inch mounting thread that is the exact same thread size on the vast majority of tripods. This ensures that you are able to quickly and easily mount or unmount your Sony a5100 with your stick. One thing that we would like to point out is that although there are videos online showing you show you can mount a quick release plate to the stick, this is not an officially supported feature and Fugetek only recommends you use the regular mounting thread for your camera.
Although this article is primarily focused on your Sony a5100, the Fugetek FT-568 also supports smartphones and action cameras and comes with various included mounts for them. The smartphone mount that comes with the FT-568 also allows you to mount smartphones that are up to 4.2 inches long rather than only sub-four inch smartphones like many compeating selfie stick. This ensures that you can easily switch between your Sony a5100, your smartphone, your action camera, or any other mountable device that you have with you to switch up your photograph or video as required.
The Fugetek FT-568 also comes with a great little Bluetooth remote control too. Unfortunately, the lack of Bluetooth connectivity on your Sony a5100 restricts what you can actually do with the remote but if you do plan to upgrade in the future or use your Smartphone or action camera with the stick then the remote offers some solid wireless remote control functionality.
One point that we would like to make about the wireless remote control is that it actually comes shipped face down in its holder in the handle of the stick. This is to try and minimize the chances of any potential damage to the remote while shipping. We have seen a number of people say that their remotes were actually missing when in fact, they were just in their holder back to front making it look like they were not there.
In all fairness to Fugetek, they really have done a great job with the FT-568 and it should definatley bee your primary consideration if you are looking for a selfie stick for your Sony a5100. On top of this, it has a massive customer base with many photographers who already use the stick opting to post their own, independent reviews of the Fugetek FT-568 that offer some great insight into the performance of the stick.
Build Quality And Design
The majority of the selfie stick is made from the same aluminum alloy that many professional-level tripods are made from offering the best possible structural integrity to support your camera’s weight during use. This is the main reason that you can mount heavier mirrorless cameras like your a5100 to the FT-568 while the stick is fully extended and not have to worry about the stick giving way under the weight.
The handle grip on the stick is also made from high-quality non-slip rubber to ensure that it does not slip during use in wet conditions. The rubber ensures that you can quickly and easily get a firm hold on the selfie stick without issue no matter the conditions. On top of this, the rubber handgrip is also very comfortable so you will easily be able to support the weight of your a5100 rig while mounted to the stick without getting hand cramps.
The stick is only ten ounces and comes in at 16.5 x 2 x 2 inches too making it extremely easy to add to your camera accessory bag or even just a backpack or handbag without having to take up much space or weight. This ensures that you can add the Fugetek FT-568 to your collection of camera accessories without it having to take up much space while still getting some solid selfie image stabilization when needed.
The last thing that we want to touch on is that the Fugetek FT-568 uses some excellent quality flip locks to keep each of its sections in place when extended. If you are used to using the Manfrotto style double lock flip locks then you will be familiar with what Fugetek has tried to do with the locks on the FT-568. Essentially they lock twice rather than just once to add that second layer of protection to the selfie stick to ensure your heavier camera is safe.
Our Verdict
That brings us to the end of our article going over what we feel is the best selfie sticks for the Sony a5100 and we hope that we have done a good job of explaining why we feel that the Fugetek FT-568 is the best option and should be your primary choice. If you have not made your mind up yet then there are some great, independent reviews of the stick online that you are able to reach if you wish. They offer some great insight into the selfie stick as well as how well it can perform with a number of popular mirrorlesses and lightweight DSLR camera rigs too.
