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Sony Alpha NEX-5 review

Announced in February 2010 by Sony, the new line of NEX cameras is designed to push SLR cameras on the digital Olympus. The new line has a number of advantages over traditional SLRs, namely interchangeable optics, compact size, video shooting and, of course, compact size, which is important for an amateur photographer.

Introduction

A small, lightweight camera with a large DSLR sensor and an interchangeable lens. The new Sony NEX-5 shoots AVCHD 1080i video, has 7 fps modes and even makes 3D-ready panoramas.

The camera is equipped with a 14.2 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor and a new Bionz processor, responsible for high image quality.

Several features of the NEX-5 have been borrowed from the Alpha and Cyber-shot models: Sweep Panorama, Auto High-Dynamic Range shooting, Handheld Twilight, and Anti-motion-blur.

The Sony NEX-5 has a 3 ”LCD display with a resolution of 921,000 dots, which can be raised and tilted 80 and 45 degrees respectively for better viewing.

Interchangeable lenses use the new E-mount. The NEX-5 is used with a standard 18-55mm f / 3.5-6.3 lens with Optical SteadyShot and a 16mm f / 2.8 pancake. An 18-200mm f / 3.5-6.3 lens with Optical SteadyShot is also planned. It is also possible to mount the Alpha series lenses using an adapter (this disables autofocus). There is also a 12mm equivalent ultra-wide converter and fisheye lens.

Design and features

Unlike other SLD (single-lens, direct-view) cameras, Sony NEX-5 was not made in the classic SLR body. The design of the camera is rather closer in appearance to medium-sized digital cameras with a large lens. The unusual combination of a matte black magnesium-aluminum alloy body and a shiny aluminum lens barrel gives the camera an unusual fresh look.

The weight of the camera without a lens with a battery and a memory card is 288 g, with a lens - 502 g. For comparison, the Panasonic G2 weighs 612 g, the Olympus E-P2 weighs 539 g.

There is an E-mount on the front of the camera, which is larger than the height of the camera. The self-timer indicator light, AF sensor eye and lens mount release button are also located here. Just below the shutter button is an infrared port for remote control.

On the top of the camera are the holes for the stereo microphones, which are marked with the words L and R, and three holes for the speaker. There is also a connector covered with a plastic flap for connecting a flash or an auxiliary microphone.

From above, you can appreciate the dramatic size of the standard (18-55mm) lens versus the camera body.

At the top right are the shutter release button biased towards the front, the camera's rotary power switch, and the video recording button biased toward the back of the body. The play button is also located on the top, although it would be desirable to see it near the display.

The rings for fastening the belt are also clearly visible from above. The position of the rings makes the camera hang with the lens down, which protects the display from scratches on the buttons on the clothes. The right mount ring is strongly offset towards the back of the camera, which does not interfere with holding the camera in your hand.

Most of the rear surface is occupied by a movable display. The wheel and buttons for quick control of camera modes, access to the menu and edit settings are also located here.

On the bottom of the camera there is a compartment for the battery and memory card. The Sony NEX-5 uses a 7.2V 1080mAh NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery, which CIPA claims should last 330 shots. The camera works with several types of memory cards. Firstly, with the Memory Stick Pro-HD Duo native to Sony, and secondly, with the more common SD, SDHC and SDXC.

There is also a socket for mounting a camera on a tripod.

On the left side of the camera there are USB and HDMI connectors covered with plastic caps.

Inside Sony NEX-5

Sensor. The Sony NEX-5 features Exmor's third generation APS-C HD-CMOS sensor, which is 60% larger than a 4: 3 sensor and 13 times larger than a typical video camera's sensor.

APS-C sensor... The NEX-5 uses a new Exmor CMOS sensor.Pictured on the right is a standard Exmor-R sensor used in Sony X-series cameras (TX7, HX5v). The new APS-C sensor (pictured left) is larger than the Exmor-R for higher quality images.

Dust. Sony NEX cameras have dust protection and dust removal systems. This includes a dust cover and a filter that vibrates to "shake off" loose dust.

CPU. Sony practically does not talk about the new Bionz processor, built on the third generation of the chip. However, most likely, it is the processor that is behind the clear improvement in the quality of shooting.

Focus and exposure. The NEX-5 uses two autofocus modes: AF-S for single focusing and AF-C for continuous focusing. There are three AF ​​areas - Center, Multi, and Variable Area. You can also select full autofocus, DMF, which allows you to adjust focus after autofocus operation, and manual focus mode.

The metering options for the Sony NEX-5 are spot, center-weighted and multi-zone.

Optics. Sony's new lenses for the NEX range of cameras are designed for faster response times than standard SLR lenses in order to accommodate autofocus when shooting video. The lenses are equipped with stepper motors to ensure continuous aperture setting and prevent sudden changes in brightness.

White balance. WB mode options include Auto, Daylight, Shaded, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Highlight, Color Temperature / Color Filter, and Custom.

Menu. Sony has introduced a whole new menu system to NEX cameras. The general interface is pretty good if you are using the basic controls.

Special characteristics. The Sony NEX-5 borrows quite a few special features from the Cyber ​​line of cameras. The most interesting is the presence of the Sweep panorama function.

Shooting

The design of the Sony NEX-5 camera is convenient for shooting with one "but" ... If you have large enough hands, it can be difficult to control the lens.

The time it takes to get the camera up and running is about 1 second, which is a good indicator.

In good lighting conditions, the camera focuses and shoots very quickly. Focusing takes some time in low light or contrast conditions.

If you leave the camera on for a while, it will go into sleep mode. After turning the power switch, icons appear on the screen in half a second, and after another half a second, an image begins to appear from black to completely bright.

Shooting with the NEX-5 is natural, but a large lens on a small "body" of the device can cause some inconvenience. Additional inconvenience can also be caused by the lack of a viewfinder.

Unusual is the lack of a built-in flash. Known issues may occur when shooting in low light conditions. The camera's auto-ISO technology helps to correct some imperfections when shooting without flash, but up to a certain limit. However, the issue is resolved by purchasing a special external flash for NEX cameras. The flash is mounted on top just above the lens and has a swinging head that allows you to change the direction of the light beam.

Handheld Twilight. New Sony trick applied to the NEX-5. The camera takes six shots in succession using the backlit sensor, which then combines into one usable shot, which is impossible to get even when using higher ISO modes. However, do not sneak into the children's bedroom in the hope of getting a snapshot of a sleeping angel - a series of six rather loud shutter clicks can wake up most people.

Anti-motion blur. In this mode, the camera also takes multiple frames, which are combined into one shot, in order to eliminate motion blur and camera shake, enhanced by the use of a telephoto lens.

Handheld twilightAnti-motion blur

Panorama. Sony's Intelligent Panorama mode embedded in the camera analyzes the scene, takes multiple shots and combines them into one panoramic shot. In this case, moving objects are found, analyzed, and only one position of the object is placed in the final scene. However, some difficulties may arise when assessing the position of fast-moving objects, for example, in the final frame, a car may appear stretched over the entire panorama or consisting of several parts. When shooting relatively static panoramas or at a considerable distance from the subject, such difficulties do not arise.

Sweep panorama... The image shows distortions in the size and appearance of cars moving in the foreground.
The camera copes perfectly with shooting static panoramas and panoramas of distant objects.

Auto-HDR. Another multi-frame mode applied by Sony in the NEX-5 to improve image quality. To work out the shadows and maintain the illuminated areas of the frame, you can activate the Auto-HDR function (after a short tinkering in the menu). This convenient mode allows you to take different shots with detail for the highlights, medium and shadow areas and combine them into one image, using a usable detail from each. The good news is that the NEX-5 saves a copy of the frame in medium light before rendering the final HDR image, because often the final HDR image can look surreal.

The picture was taken at an increased ISO Auto-HDR. In the picture, the shaded part of the wall is perfectly worked out.

Focus. The focus is constantly active. With AF on the center point, the Sony NEX-5 has a strange habit of choosing the whole image as the center, especially in low light. This can be avoided by switching the AF to Flexible Spot. Focus is fairly fast, with an average lag for full wide-angle and telephoto AF of 0.44 seconds, and a shutter pre-focus lag of 0.12 seconds. If you set the camera to Continuous AF, focus will begin to "wobble" as the system begins to detect drops in contrast and refocus.

Simple menus? Sony said that for the new line of cameras, the user menu has been reworked and now it is even more convenient. Indeed, thanks to the large screen, you can see more icons, the menu has become fast and beautiful, however, long lists in the menu sections are not cyclical, that is, once you reach the bottom of the menu, you will not automatically go to the beginning. In addition, by correcting any menu item, you will find yourself in the Record mode, and not in the Menu, where you could continue with further settings, and you must press the buttons again and go through the whole procedure all over again. In general, it is rather difficult to quickly transfer the camera from one mode to another due to the lack of hot buttons, and some menu sections contain many items. For example, the "Settings" menu contains 35 items. Many menu items may turn out to be inactive ("gray"), because the control functions are interconnected, and in order to change the option, you need to pretty much "run" through the menu. Another specific detail is that in the view mode you can view only photos or only videos. Playback is limited to the mode in which the picture was last taken. To view pictures or videos, you need to switch the Still / Movie mode in the "Playback" menu item.

Sony NEX-5 Specification

Lenses

Sony E-mount

Yes

Sony α-mount

Yes (via LA-EA1 adapter, except teleconverter, manual focus only)

Minolta and Konica Minolta A-type bayonet mount lenses

Yes (with mount adapter, manual focus only, excluding selected lenses)

Image sensor

Sensor type

CMOS

Color filter

RGB, primary color

Sensor size

23.4 x 15.6 mm (APS-C size)

Camera

Total Pixels (Approx., Mp)

14,6

Effective Pixels (Approx., Mp)

14,2

Automatic white balance

Yes

White balance

Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Color Temperature Correction, Custom

Types of color temperature

2500 - 9900 K with 19 step magenta / green compensation

Change the white balance

Not

ISO sensitivity

200 – 12800

Auto focus system

Contrast autofocus system

Yes

Sensitivity range (ISO100); EV

0 - 20

Autofocus area

Multipoint (25 points), fixed area, center-weighted

Autofocus modes

Continuous, single shot, direct manual focus, manual focus

Predictive focus control

Yes

Hold focus

Yes

Auto focus illumination

Yes (built-in LED)

Auto focus illumination distance

Approx. 0.3m - Approx. 4.0m (E 16mm F2.8)

Approx. 0.5m - Approx. 3.0m (E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

Automatic exposure system

Exposure metering type

49-segment exposure meter with image sensor

Light meter

Multi-segment, point, center-weighted

Exposition

Auto, Programmer, iAUTO, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Scene Selection

Panoramic shooting mode

Yes

Reducing motion blur

Yes

Autoexposure lock

Not

Exposure compensation

Yes (+/- 2EV in 1 / 3EV steps)

AE Bracketing

1/3 EV / 2/3 EV increments, 3 frames

Gate

A type

Electronically controlled, vertical transition, focal-plane type

Exposure range (sec)

1/4000 - 30 and shooting with artificial lighting

Flash sync speed (sec)

1/160

Flash

Leading number

7 (connect to smart accessory terminal)

Metering system

TTL with preflash

Compensation

+/- 2.0 EV (1/3 EV steps)

Recycle time (approx. Sec.)

4

Mode

Auto, fill, slow sync, rear-curtain sync

Removing red eye

YES

Auto flash

YES

LCD display

Screen

3 "(7.5 cm) TFT TruBlack ™ LCD (921,600 pixels)

on off. screen

NOT

Brightness adjustment

YES

Tilt angle adjustment

YES (80 degrees up, 45 degrees down)

Recording

Burst mode

Single, Continuous, Speed ​​Priority Continuous, 10 second and 2 second delay self-timer, continuous self-timer

Continuous shooting speed (approx. Fps)

7fps continuous with speed priority

Number of frames for continuous shooting

JPEG (large image size, detailed): 16/14 images,

RAW: 7 images,

RAW + JPEG: 7 images

Data carrier type

Memory Stick PRO Duo ™, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo ™, SD memory card, SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card

Recording format

JPEG Compatible (DCF Ver.2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline) DPOF Compliant

Image size

L (14M): 4592 X 3056

M (7.4M): 3344 X 2224

S (3.5M): 2288 X 1520

Quality

JPEG, RAW (ARW2.1 format), RAW + JPEG

Noise reduction for long excerpt

On / Off, at a shutter speed of 1 sec. and longer

High ISO noise reduction

YES (Auto / Weak)

Color space

sRGB, Adobe RGB

Modes

Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B / W

Dynamic Range Optimizer

Off, auto, enhanced

Video recording

AVCHD / MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC (H.264))

Video quality

AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 / 60i (59.94i Interlace) Approx. 17Mbps (Average bit-rate)

MP4 HD: 1440 x 1080 / 30p (29.97 Progressive) approx. 12Mbps (Average bit-rate)

MP4 VGA: 640 x 480 / 30p (29.97 Progressive) approx. 3Mbps (Average bit-rate)

Recording Audio

Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC

Playback / Editing

Information screen

YES

Not enough white warning

YES

Playing back a table of contents

YES (6, 12)

Magnification (max.)

13X (L), 10X (M), 6.7X (S), 24X (Panorama STD), 34X (Panorama WIDTH)

Rotate the image

YES

Automatic image rotation

YES

General

Battery level indicator

YES

InfoLITHIUM battery indicator

YES (in%)

bar graph

YES

Exif

2,3, print

Language

English / French / German / Spanish / Italian / Portuguese / Dutch / Russian / Swedish / Danish / Norwegian / Finnish / Polish / Czech / Hungarian / Greek / Turkish

IR remote control

YES

Free memory indicator (CF)

YES

Sound signal

YES

Working temperature range (in degrees Celsius)

0 - 40

Connectors

Video output

NOT

HD / HDMI ™ output

HDMI® Mini Connector (Type C), BRAVIA Sync (Sync Menu), PhotoTV HD

Hi-Speed ​​USB 2.0

YES

Food

Battery

InfoLitium NP-FW50,7.2V

Duration of work (CIPA)

330 shots

Dimensions and weight

Weight (g)

287g (with SEL16F28 lens)

Dimensions (L / H / W)

110.8x58.8x38.2mm (with SEL16F28 lens)

Sony NEX-5 - size comparison

Size is a big advantage for SLDs and the Sony NEX-5 is the smallest member of the family to date. Even the small Panasonic GF1 looks big compared to the Sony NEX-5.

Sony NEX-3 vs Panasonic GF1

Compared to the Panasonic Lumix GF1, the Sony NEX-5 is actually quite small, and even thinner.

Sony NEX-5 vs Olympus E-PL1

The Sony NEX-5 is smaller than the Olympus E-PL1, at least in appearance. The NEX-5's moveable large display is a clear advantage over the E-PL1, but the E-PL1's menus are simpler and Olympus has an integrated flash. Olympus does not have a significant advantage over Sony, but the corresponding optics on the NEX-5 are significantly larger.

Sony NEX-5 vs Canon Rebel T2i

Comparison with a small digital SLR camera, which really shows the advantage of the Sony NEX-5 SLD with an APS-C sensor. Sony is significantly lower and thinner than the competitor. The NEX-5 has a 16: 9 widescreen display rather than a 3: 2 display that can tilt up and down. The Canon T2i, though, has more buttons for quick access to functions, an optical viewfinder, and a “quick menu”. The elimination of the mirror block allows the camera to be reduced in size (18-55mm lenses for Sony and Canon are approximately the same size) due to Sony's shorter lens-to-sensor distance.

Sony NEX-5 - Image Quality Comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Panasonic G2, ISO 1600

Sony NEX-5

Panasonic G2

Sony NEX-5 vs Olympus E-P1, ISO 1600

Sony NEX-5

Olympus E-P1

Sony NEX-5 vs Samsung NX1, ISO 1600

Sony NEX-5

Samsung NX10

Sony NEX-5 vs Canon T1i, ISO 1600

Sony NEX-5

Canon T1i

Sony NEX-5 vs Nikon D5000, ISO 1600

Sony NEX-5

Nikon D5000

Detail: Sony NEX-5 vs Panasonic G2, Olympus E-P1, Samsung NX10, Canon T1i, and Nikon D5000

Sony NEX-5

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Panasonic G2

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Olympus E-P1

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Samsung NX10

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Canon T1i

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Nikon D5000

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Contents of delivery

- Sony NEX-5 body

- 18-55mm with hood or 16mm lens (depending on kit)

- Flash (depending on the kit)

- Lens shaft cover

- Lens cap

- Lithium-ion battery

- Charger

- USB cable

- Shoulder strap

- CD-ROM with software (Picture Motion Browser, Image Data Converter SR and Image Data Lightbox)

- Quick Start Guide

- Warranty card

conclusions

With the new NEX-5, Sony is once again dominating its digital segment. However, this camera has some drawbacks. It should be noted that the manufacturer managed to create an unusual and fairly high-quality product.

Per:

- compact design

- high-quality performance of body and lens elements

- very high quality 1080i video

- HDMI-out port

- swiveling widescreen 3 "display

Vs:

- very noisy shutter

- limited selection of lenses

- noise in the image at high ISO, in multi-frame modes

- confusing menu

Outcome: Sony released a fairly expensive camera on the market, comparable in price to some SLR cameras, but the NEX-5 does not provide the user with sufficient ease of shooting and flexible maneuvering in the settings. Perhaps it should be hoped that Sony will be able to refine some aspects of the new camera in future models.

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