The Sony α NEX-5 is a

digital camera A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...

launched on 11 May 2010. It is a

mirrorless interchangeable lens camera A mirrorless camera (sometimes referred to as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) or digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM)) is a digital camera which, in contrast to DSLRs, does not use a mirror in order to ensure that the image ...

with the body size of a larger model fairly compact

point-and-shoot camera A point-and-shoot camera, also known as a compact camera and sometimes abbreviated to P&S, is a still camera (either film or digital) designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic syste ...

with a larger sensor size (

APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System film negative in its C ("Classic") format, of 25.1×16.7 mm, an aspect ratio of 3:2 and Ø 30.15 mm field d ...

) 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 is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...

and

Olympus Olympus or Olympos () may refer to: Mountains In antiquity Greece * Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology * Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Lesbos * Mount Olympus (Euboea) ...

, and a few low end

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

Nikon (, ; ) is a Japanese optics and photographic equipment manufacturer. Nikon's products include cameras, camera lenses, binoculars, microscopes, ophthalmic lenses, measurement instruments, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and equipment related to S ...

, and even

Sony α Sony α (the lower case to Greek language, Greek letter Alpha (letter), alpha, often transliterated as ''Sony Alpha'') is a brand of digital camera. This line has been active since 2006, building upon the Konica Minolta camera technologies, who ...

DSLRs. The NEX-5 shoots 14.2 megapixel stills and has a 7 frame/s continuous shotmode. It has the capability to shoot 1920×1080i at 60 frame/s in

AVCHD AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video. It is H.264 and Dolby AC-3 packaged into the MPEG transport stream, with a set of constraints designed around cam ...

or 1440×1080p at 30 frame/s in

MPEG4 MPEG-4 is a group of international standards for the compression of digital audio and visual data, multimedia systems, and file storage formats. It was originally introduced in late 1998 as a group of audio and video coding formats and related te ...

. The NEX-5 was replaced by the 16 megapixel NEX-5N in August 2011.

Features

The α NEX-5 has features found in SLR cameras but also some that are normally found in point and shoots. The body of the α NEX-5 is made of magnesium alloy that separates the NEX-5 from the less expensive polymer NEX-3. Also different from the NEX-3 is video quality. The NEX-5 can shoot in

1080/60i HD. There is a 7 frame/s continuous shot mode, with autofocus disabled after the first frame. The

sized sensor has an

ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...

sensitivity up to 12,800. The camera software has special features like twilight mode and sweep panorama. The latter lets the photographer sweep across a city-sky line or similar long view and have the photos automatically stitched into a JPEG image on camera.

Lenses

The NEX-5 along with its sister, the NEX-3, and also the

Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 The Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 (model variants NEX-VG10E, NEX-VG10A, NEX-VG10J) was the large sensor interchangeable-lens video camera made and distributed by Sony in 2010–2011. It uses Sony E-mount camera lenses that were first used on the Sony NEX ...

use a new lens mount system developed by

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

for NEX series and known as the

Sony E-mount The E-mount is a lens mount designed by Sony for their NEX ("New E-mount eXperience") and Sony ILCE camera, ILCE series of camcorders and mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, mirrorless cameras. The E-mount supplements Sony's Sony α, α mount ...

. Initially, there were three available lenses: an all-purpose 18–55 mm lens, an ultra wide pancake 16 mm lens, and a wide range 18–200 mm E-mount lens. With the post-November 2010 firmware version 3 installed, and by using the (roughly US$200) Sony LA-EA1 adapter, the NEX series of cameras is able to electronically control the aperture and autofocus of Sony SSM/SAM A-mount lenses, and control the aperture of the other Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses with manual focus only. The (roughly US$400) Sony LA-EA2 adapter also supports autofocus with screw-drive A-mount lenses, firmware version 5 is required for this adapter. Nex 5 w rokkor f2 85mm IMGP1332 wp

Other third-party mechanical tube adapters are also available. These adapters enable the use of Canon FD-mount, Canon EF-mount (without aperture control), Contax G, M42 screw mount, Konica Hexanon AR-mount, Minolta SR-mount (MC/MD), Leica M and screw mount, Nikon F-mount (non-G), Pentax K-mount (non-DA), Olympus OM mount, T2 screw mount and Minolta/Konica Minolta/Sony A-mount lenses. The E-mount flange register is so short that it is possible to mount 45 mm or longer-focal-length non-focusing enlarging lenses on the NEX body, with the use of an intermediate focusing helicoid behind them. 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.

Model definitions

The incomplete model number of NEX-3/NEX-5 series may include letter(s) at end. The definitions are: * C: Not compatible with

Eye-Fi Eye-Fi was a company based in Mountain View, California, that produced SD card, SD memory cards with Wi-Fi capabilities. Using an Eye-Fi card inside a digital camera, one could wirelessly and automatically upload digital photos to a local pers ...

function (NEX-3C and NEX-5C only) * A: Supplied with E 2.8/16mm (SEL-16F28) * D: Supplied with E 2.8/16mm (SEL-16F28) and E 3,5-5,6/18-55mm OSS (SEL-1855) * H: Supplied with E 3.5-6.3/18-200mm OSS (SEL-18200) * K: Supplied with E 3.5-5.6/18-55mm OSS (SEL-1855) * L: Supplied with E 3.5-5.6/16-50mm OSS (SEL-1650) * B: Body color is black * N: Body color is black * /N: Body color is gold (NEX-5D/N, Japan only) * /P: Body color is pink (NEX-3D/P, Asia only) * R: Body color is red * S: Body color is silver * /T: Body color is brown (NEX-3D/T, Asia only) * 50i: 50 frames interlaced model * 60i: 60 frames interlaced model For example, NEX-5CK/B 50i is a NEX-5 supplied with E 18–55 mm zoom lens, not compatible with Eye-Fi function, body color black, and with 50i (not 60i) video support.

References

External links

SonyStyle product description
– official Sony website
Sony UK product presentation
– official Sony UK website
DP Review (Digital Photography Review)
– June 2010, an in-depth review of the two cameras
Pop Photo Review
– May 2010 review {{DEFAULTSORT:Sony Nex-5 NEX-5 NEX-5

Features

Lenses

Model definitions

See also

References

External links