SONY NEX-5
Review and Photo Examples of the NEX-5 Mirrorless Digital Camera.
Table of contents
Gallery
- Example photographs were taken with the following lenses
- CONTAX-G PLANAR 35mm, CONTAX-G BIOGON 21mm, Voigtlander SUPER WIDE HELIAR 15mm, SONY E16mm,SONY E18-55mm
Review
The NEX-5, along with the NEX-3, was the first Sony mirrorless camera released in June 2010. It is a compact camera equipped with a 14-megapixel APS-C sensor.
I like Minolta, and even after switching to Sony, I used the α900 SLR, but I bought the mirrorless camera NEX-3 soon after its release because its sensor is larger than Micro Four Thirds. I sold the NEX-3 and the first α7 shortly after purchasing them, but the NEX-5 I purchased after the NEX-3 is the only one in the NEX-5 series with a champagne gold body. This body color matches well with the Metabones mount adapter (gold) and Contax G lenses, and I like the appearance, so I still have it.
With 14 million pixels, it is enough for snapshot photography, but I don’t take it out much anymore because it is sensitive to camera shake caused by shutter shock and it is difficult to see the focus on the rear LCD when using MF lenses. I am currently using the dedicated external flash HVL-F20S, which is useful for taking product photos for my blog.
This camera uses Sony’s NP-FW50, but because it has a small capacity, I have several of them, but when I try to use it after a long time, the battery always naturally discharges and the battery level is 0, which is surprising how quickly Sony’s lithium-ion batteries naturally discharge. With other companies’ batteries, the battery level is almost never 0 when I use it after a long time.
When I bought the α7sII, I also purchased the new NP-FW50, and I am interested to see if the natural discharge has stopped.
The photo flash (HVL-F20S) is one of the few options that are compatible with the Smart Accessory Terminal, and the external EVF is compatible with the Smart Accessory Terminal 2, which cannot be used with this NEX-5. Accessory ports for flashes and other items are the biggest problem with compatibility with the NEX series, and while the NEX-7 returned to the auto-lock accessory shoe of the α SLR cameras that has been around since the MINOLTA era, the NEX-6 has changed to the current multi-interface shoe.
After releasing the flagship NEX-7, the NEX brand came to an end with the release of the entry-level model NEX-3N in 2013.
Sony had no intention of giving up on APS-C, and passed the baton to the α5000/6000 series. As of 2023, the viewfinder-less α5000 (α3000/3500 are overseas versions) has been discontinued, but the α6000 series, which is a descendant of the NEX-6/7, is still ongoing.
The E-mount has a relatively compact mount diameter (46mm), so no one thought it would fit a 35mm full-frame sensor, but the α7 managed to do it brilliantly, leading to its current popularity.
Specification
| Items | NEX-5 | NEX-5N | NEX-5T | NEX-5R |
| Camera Effective Pixels | 14.2-Megapixcels | 16.1-Megapixels | ← | ← |
| Image sensor size | APS-C 23.7 x 15.6mm | ← | ← | ← |
| Back LCD Size | 3.0 921,000 dots | ← | ← | ← |
| EVF | None | FDA-EV1S | ← | ← |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000 | ← | ← | ← |
| Battery | NP-FW50 | ← | ← | ← |
| Touch panel | × | ○ | ← | ← |
| WIFI | × | ← | ○ | ← |
| NFC | × | ← | ← | ○ |
| AF | Contrast | ← | Contrast Image phase difference | ← |
| Recorded media | MS-Pro SDXC | ← | ← | ← |
| Release date | 2010.6 | 2011.9 | 2012.11 | 2013.9 |
| Size | 111 x 59 x 38 | ← | ← | ← |
| Weight(body only) | 229 | 210 | 218 | ← |
| Body color | Black, Silver, Gold | Black, Silver, White | ← | ← |
Options
- HVL-F20S(Flash)
- LA Series Mount Adapter
- Accessory Kit
- Strap
- Cases
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.07.25
- 2024.03.3:Update
- 2023.10.25:First draft
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