Sony NEX-5N + 18-55mm - digital cameras (Auto, Cloudy, Custom modes, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Landscape, Panorama, Portrait, Self-portrait, Manual, Movie, Scene, Black&White, Vivid, Movie, Single image, Battery)

Product Information

D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony's solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light. Size-wise, the NEX-5n is one of the smallest APS-C equipped compact system bodies on the market – noticeably smaller than the Samsung NX200 we recently reviewed. Indeed, the compact-sized dimensions of the NEX-5n even hold up quite well against its Micro Four Thirds and Nikon CX competitors as well – at least in terms of the actual camera body. Certain third-party mechanical adapters also provide circular control rings that provide some mechanical control of the aperture of Nikon G, Pentax DA and Canon EF lenses, as these do not have a mechanical aperture control ring on their lens barrels. Battery life is improved with a battery life rating of 410 shots. In our testing we took over 220 shots and the battery life was showing as having over 50% available, this is an improvement over the Sony NEX-5 who's battery life was rated at 330 shot.

The pivoting monitor in the absence of an adjustable electronic viewfinder is useful for high or low-angle compositions, and led to us taking the kind of shots we might not otherwise have attempted, while avoiding grubby knees. The Olympus PEN series have, historically, been geared more towards the enthusiast crowd than Sony's NEX cameras which have been marketed primarily towards compact upgraders. However, with the 5N's new bevy of customization options and expanded features, that line is becoming blurred. There's also a new Sony Alpha adapter, the LA-EA2, with translucent mirror technology, it provides high speed auto focus with Alpha lenses, and features a built in motor for lenses without built in motor. For more information have a look at our NEX-5N First Look Review. Metering is handled via a 1,200-zone module and proves to be consistently reliable, with just the slightest tendency to underexpose when set to evaluative mode and faced with a high-contrast scene along the lines of bright skies and dark shadows – nothing that a dab of EV compensation (of which /-3EV is available) cannot cure though.

The Sony NEX-5n uses a 25-point contrast-detect AF system and, in addition to regular autofocus (in either Single-shot or Continuous mode), there’s also a Manual Focus option that employs a helpful MF Assist function to magnify whatever’s inside the focus box to screen-filling proportions for more precise results. Last but not least is a DMF focus mode which keeps the autofocus switched on but also allows you to fine-tune the camera’s results manually using the focus ring on the lens (albeit without any help from AF Assist). Shooting modes extend to the regular quartet of Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority and Manual, and these are neatly supplemented by a point-and-shoot Intelligent Auto mode, eight individually selectable Scene modes, an Anti Motion Blur mode, a 3D mode and, last but not least, a Sweep Panorama mode that enables the easy creation of ultra-wideangle images with a single button press. Sadly, this last option doesn’t include the high-resolution option seen on other Sony models, such as the HX9V. The Sony NEX-5N handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review, with limited purple fringing mainly present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below. The Sony α NEX-5 is a digital camera launched on 11 May 2010. [1] It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the body size of a larger model fairly compact point-and-shoot camera with a larger sensor size ( APS-C) comparable to that of some digital single-lens reflex cameras. Its major competitors in the market are the cameras based on the micro 4/3 standard created by Panasonic and Olympus, and a few low end Canon, Nikon, and even Sony α DSLRs. [2] The NEX-5 shoots 14.2 megapixel stills and has a 7 frame/s continuous shotmode. [3] It has the capability to shoot 1920×1080i at 60 frame/s in AVCHD or 1440×1080p at 30 frame/s in MPEG4. The NEX-5 was replaced by the 16 megapixel NEX-5N in August 2011. The NEX-5n further benefits from Sony’s current generation of BIONZ image processor, enabling it to crunch its way through data at a fair old pace with up to 10fps available in Speed Priority Continuous mode (whereby the AF and metering functions are only active for the first frame of the sequence) or 3fps with the AF constantly active in regular Continuous mode.

One of the most important attributes in a digital camera is its sensor – the heart of the camera that is responsible for capturing images. The Sony NEX-5N features the excellent APS-C sized 16.1 MP Exmor sensor, which in my opinion, has a great balance of resolution and noise (the same sensor is also used on the lower-end Sony NEX-C3 mirrorless camera). While the latest generation high-resolution sensors on Sony A77, A65 and NEX-7 cameras have their advantages, as I have explained in my “ benefits of a high resolution sensor” article, sometimes less can be more. For the type of the camera the NEX-5N is, which is positioned as a mid-level mirrorless camera by Sony, 16.1 megapixels is more than plenty for most photographers that will be looking into buying it.Image noise has become much more prominent at ISO 6400, although images remain usable at smaller sizes. Cosmetically, the NEX-5N (on the right) is nearly identical to the NEX-5, with the exception of a slightly angled top-casing and a silver flair around the power switch. The overall appearance of the 5N has been further streamlined by creating a single magnesium-allow top plate. The hand-grip material has has a more refined feel too, but doesn't seem to offer any more grip. ISO 3200 is the tipping point – where image noise and the softening effects of noise reduction begin to become noticeable. Overall quality at smaller image sizes is still very good though.