Sony Alpha NEX-5 Review with Detailed Specifications and Features

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Review

Overall Score

Main Features

14 MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
200 - 12800 ISO
3" Tilting Screen
7 fps continuous shooting
1920 x 1080 video resolution
Built-In Wireless
111 x 59 x 38 mm, 287g.
Price Category:
Replaced by: Alpha NEX-5N

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Sony Alpha NEX-5 Overview

First introduced in June, 2010, Sony Alpha NEX-5 is a 14 MP Mirrorless with a APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Sony replaced Alpha NEX-5 with Sony NEX-5N. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Sony NEX-5 with Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5 comes with a 23.4 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor, which has a diagonal of 28.12 mm (1.1").

- Full Frame

- Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sensor resolution of Sony NEX-5 ~ 4582 x 3055 pixels.

Sony NEX-5 has Crop Factor: 1.54

The sensor has a surface area of 365.0 mm².

There are approximate 13,998,010 photosites (pixels) on this area.

Sony NEX-5 Series History

Model	Year	Sensor	ISO	Weight	Dimensions
Sony NEX-5T	2013	16MP	100 - 25600	276g	111 x 59 x 39mm
Sony NEX-6	2013	16MP	100 - 25600	345g	120 x 67 x 43mm
Sony NEX-3N	2013	16MP	200 - 16000	269g	110 x 62 x 35mm
Sony NEX-5R	2012	16MP	100 - 25600	276g	111 x 59 x 39mm
Sony NEX-F3	2012	16MP	200 - 16000	314g	117 x 67 x 42mm

Proc and Cons of Sony NEX-5

Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Sony Alpha NEX-5 with competitors in entry-level mirrorless cameras.

Pros

Built-in Wireless

External Flash

12800 Max Native ISO

7.0 fps Continuous Shooting

Manual Focus

287g Light Body

±2 AE Bracketing Range

Tilting Screen

RAW Support

920k dots Screen Resolution

1/4000s Max Shutter Speed

Manual Exposure Mode

25 Focus Points

Flash Sync Port

Cons

No Bluetooth

No Touch Screen

No AF Face Detection

No Built-in Viewfinder

No Articulating Screen

No Image Stabilization

No Environmental Sealing

Low Battery Life: 330 shots

Type Scores

Sony Alpha NEX-5 has an Overall Score of 54/100 and ranked #196 out of 214 in Mirrorless cameras, and ranked #449 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Sony NEX-5 Scores

Imaging score

Features score

Value for money score

Portability score

Overall score

Average Scores in Entry-Level Mirrorless

Imaging Score

Features Score

Value For Money Score

Portability Score

Overall score

Physical Dimensions of Sony NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5 weighs 287g and has external dimensions of 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.37 x 2.32 x 1.5"). Considering that the average weight of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras is 323g, Sony NEX-5 is 36 grams less than the average weight of cameras in this category. Sony NEX-5 is less by 4mm more than the average length in Entry-Level Mirrorless.

Weight Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras

Sony NEX-5

287g

Average weight

323g

Min weight

180g

Max weight

561g

Thickness Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras

Sony NEX-5

38mm

Average Thickness

40mm

Min Thickness

23mm

Max Thickness

85mm

Here is the front and top view image of Sony Alpha NEX-5 with the dimensions:

Size Compared to Major Competitors

Model	Weight	Alpha NEX-5	Dimensions	Alpha NEX-5
Sony A6000	344 g	287 g	120 x 67 x 45 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony a5000	269 g	287 g	110 x 63 x 36 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony NEX-5N	269 g	287 g	111 x 59 x 38 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony a5100	283 g	287 g	110 x 63 x 36 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony NEX-3N	269 g	287 g	110 x 62 x 35 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony NEX-6	345 g	287 g	120 x 67 x 43 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony NEX-5R	276 g	287 g	111 x 59 x 39 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Sony NEX-5T	276 g	287 g	111 x 59 x 39 mm	111 x 59 x 38 mm

Specifications of Sony Alpha NEX-5

General
Brand	Sony
Model	Alpha NEX-5
Announced	June, 2010
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Lens
Lens Mount	Sony E
Manual Focus
Focal Lens Multiplier	1.5
Number of Lenses	116
Macro Focus Range	n/a
Screen
Screen Size	3"
Screen Type	Tilting
Screen Resolution	920k pixels
Touch Screen
Live View
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.0
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	25
Number of Cross Focus Points	0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed	1/30 sec
Max Shutter Speed	1/4000 sec
Continuous Shooting	7.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00
Flash Modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External Flash
AE Bracketing
AE Bracketing Range	±2 EV
WB Bracketing

Sensor
Sensor Size	APS-C
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Dimensions	23.4 x 15.6 mm
Sensor Area	365.0 mm²
Sensor Resolution	14 MP
Max Image Resolution	4592 x 3056
Max Native ISO	12800
Min Native ISO	200
Max Boosted ISO	0
Min Boosted ISO	0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	AVCHD
Timelapse Recording
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
Connectivity
GPS	None
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In
Bluetooth
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Battery
Battery Life	330 shots
Battery Type	Battery Pack
Battery Model	NPFW50
Physical
Weight	287 g
Physical Dimensions	111 x 59 x 38 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type	SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage Slots	1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly