The Best Of Both Worlds
October 2010
HIGH
  • easy to use, great handling
  • quick and responsive
  • great built quality
  • very high image quality (DSLR level)
  • very good lens
  • excellent HD video
  • excellent and useful tiltable LCD
  • sweep panorama modes
  • anti motion blur mode
  • HDR mode
  • RAW mode
  • external flash is provided

MIND

  • no standard hot shoe
  • no 1:1 square image format
  • no port for remote cable release

WISE
  • a nomad's favorite: DSLR quality with point and shoot convenience and ease of use

The Sony NEX 5 is the smallest compact interchangeable-lens camera to date, but it delivers big in image quality. The camera is designed to function with the convenience and ease of a point and shoot, but it packs a high-quality 14.2 megapixels DSLR size sensor. We like this best of both worlds concept and love this camera.

 

The NEX 5 with the 18-55mm lens looks unconventional because the lens seems to be bigger than the camera body. However, the camera balances very nicely in hand and is easily one of the most comfortable to hold. Image quality is top-notch and comparable to that of many top prosumer DSLRs. We have been using the NEX 5 as our main go-to camera for other projects, and we got used to and actually like the user menu interface for its simplicity.

 

Another reason why we prefer this camera over a DLSR is its excellent tiltable LCD. The NEX 5's high resolution LCD can be pulled out and tilted so we can look down onto it, making photography on tripod from a low angle very easy.

 

Like other Sony's compact cameras, the NEX 5 is packed with great features such as sweep panorama, hand-held twilight and anti motion blur modes. There are also HDR and auto dynamic range optimizer modes. Video capability is very nice, it can do 1080/60i AVCHD Full HD.

 

A small but serviceable external flash is included with the camera, but it is connected using a custom connection, not a standard hot shoe, which we wish it was. We also would like to see more image formats including 1:1 square. With all the digital bells and whistles this camera already provides, it's somewhat surprising not to see more image formats included.

 

Overall, we just love this camera and use it for most situations where we had used a DSLR previously.

 

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CAMERA SPECS SUMMARY
  • compact interchangeable-lens camera
  • price with lens when tested: $699
  • 10. 2010 street price: $699
  • colors: silver, black
  • image stabilized zoom lens 18-55mm
  • multi-format: 3:2, 16:9
  • Tiltable 3" LCD (921Kpixels)
  • 1080/60i AVCHD Full HD video
  • SD & Memory Stick memory cards
  • rechargeable Li-ion battery
  • 14.2 megapixels
  • dimension: 4-3/8 × 2-3/8 × 1-9/16 in.
  • weight: 10.1 oz
  • NEX 5 info @ sonystyle.com