Sony NEX-5N Review

This page is about Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera Review

The Sony NEX-5N has many favorable reviews, particularly now that the clicking noise during movies has been fixed in the most recent versions. It's not a simple operation with regards to the menu system, but if you are in the IA mode or Intelligent Automatic, when you're snapping pictures, you'll get excellent results, without difficulty.

The camera's touch screen lets you select a tiny area of a complex picture. This tiny area you have blown up will be noise free, and have bright colors. Indoor images that are dimly lit continue to impress with shadows against a background having very little noise. There are many high-end DSLRs that can't do as well as this camera. The ability to take panorama photos is the next extraordinary feature of this camera, as the default setting is left to right horizontally. An easier way to accomplish this could be to hold the camera vertically, while sweeping either right to left or left to right. To change the options you need to go into the menu system after picking panorama mode from the virtual wheel. You have difficulty locating the options, you can read the easy to use manual to find out.

Having this ability offers you great results with panorama shots with hardly any effort. If you don't wish to spend time stitching photos together, then the Sony NEX-5N will be well worth it. One of the best features of this digital camera is the ability to go to manual mode using the virtual wheel. With the mechanical wheel, you are able to modify the shutter speed and go into f/stop by pushing the lower section of the wheel. The ISO, which is viewable alongside the f/stop, could be reached by switching to the Menu mode and selecting Brightness/Color and right there is the ISO setting. It is a bit cumbersome as you have to finagle through option resulting in a lost opportunity for a nice shot. There needs to be a choice not to go to the menu system.

Somewhere in the menu system you can find anything you might like to do with the Sony NEX-5N, but it may well be a steep learning curve. For many people, they'll have the settings that actually work perfect for them and stick with it. Your camera becomes more useful as these settings can be programmed for easy access. The touch screen navigation is incredibly easy to use despite the camera's plethora of features. You are able to zoom in electronically, move between photos in image review mode or pick an object to concentrate on.

The Sony NEX-5N is a superb digital camera and with a firmware update, it will be better still. With some tweaks, the camera could be more intuitive, easier to use and a better digital camera.

Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Touchscreen Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)

Sony NEX-5N - Technical Details and Product Details

Style: With 18-55mm lens

* DSLR quality in your pocket
* Up to 10 fps shooting to capture the decisive moment
* 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor
* Full HD movie shooting 60p/24p
* Photo Creativity Touch provides easy access to image adjustments

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 4.6 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.

Sony NEX-5N - Product Description

The performance of a DSLR, in about half the size and weight. The Sony NEX-5N is the interchangeable lens camera that fits in your pocket. Enjoy Full HD 1080/60p or 24p movies, astounding low-light pictures, continuous shooting up to 10 fps, incredible panorama shots, and 3.0-inch tiltable Live View touch screen LCD.

DSLR quality in your pocket
This is the world's smallest interchangeable lens digital still camera using a large APS-C size sensor (as of Aug 2011). The removal of the conventional mirror box and viewfinder results in a camera body that is about half the size and weight of a standard DSLR camera.

Up to 10 fps shooting
Capture the decisive moment in sports and get the ideal baby photo. Up to 10 fps continuous shooting at full 16.1 MP resolution. Standard continuous shooting speeds vary based upon shooting conditions and memory card speeds.

16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor
You get incredible detail and gorgeous enlargements. Thanks to the APS-C sensor size and Sony Exmor APS HD CMOS technology, the camera achieves high resolution with no penalty in low-light sensitivity or sensor noise.

BIONZ image processor
The brain of the camera is a refined version of Sony's BIONZ image processor. Its chroma noise reduction delivers high-resolution, low-noise photos even at ISO 25600 sensitivity. Also enables fast processing for up to 10 fps continuous shooting of data-intensive 16.1 megapixel images, 2D/3D Sweep Panorama modes and 6 image layering.

Full HD movie shooting 60p/24p
Record Full HD 1920x1080 video in a variety of frame rates from 60p for super smooth action to 24p for a more cinematic feel. The NEX-5N utilizes the AVCHD codec, the industry standard for high quality HD video capture, as well as the MP4 codec for easy upload to the web due to it's smaller file size.

Photo Creativity Touch
The Photo Creativity interface enables you to easily enjoy the creative expression through direct photographic control in an easy to use interface. Changes can be combined/removed and viewed in real time on the LCD making it a breeze to make adjustments.

Tiltable 3.0" Touch LCD
Sony's 3.0" Xtra Fine LCD monitor has 921K dots for superb resolution. The TruBlack screen includes a special resin layer to suppress internal reflections, increasing contrast compared to conventional LCDs. Sunny Weather mode boosts visibility even further in bright sunlight. Tilts down 45° and up 80° to frame high- and low-angle shots that would otherwise be hit-or-miss.

Object Tracking AF via Touch LCD
Object Tracking AF can lock onto a specified object and maintain focus even as the subject moves. This hassle-free mode allows unpredictable subjects to stay in focus even while zooming. Letting you concentrate on the scene and composition without having to worry about focus. The subject on which to lock focus is easily selected via the touch screen or the center button of the control wheel.

World's shortest release time lag (0.02 sec)
In photography, shutter lag, or release time, is the delay between triggering the shutter by fully depressing the shutter button and when the photograph is actually recorded. By initiating the exposure electronically instead of with the traditional shutter mechanism, release time on the NEX-5N is reduced to just 20 milliseconds - helping you to capture the decisive moment.

Optional XGA OLED viewfinder
The optional FDA-EV1S OLED Tru-Finder offers a large, bright and wide-view of the scene. With high resolution 2.395K dot, and unprecedented speed, contrast and color accuracy, the FDA-EV1S provides an extraordinary view.

11 Picture Effect modes
There are 11 picture effects modes to choose from: Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow), Soft High-key, High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera (Normal, Cool, Warm, Green, Magenta), Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, and Miniature. Each is unique and each gives you a new and exciting way to make your images and videos pop.

Peaking AF display
The Peaking AF display makes precise manual focusing much easier by highlighting the edges that are in focus in your choice of three colors ( white, red, or yellow). This is especially helpful during macro or portrait photography where your focal plane can make or break your shot.

3D Sweep Panorama Mode
Capture vast scenic vistas and 16:9 shots in spectacular 3D. As you sweep across the panorama, the camera records separate right-eye and left-eye images that make landscapes come alive on your 3D television. Records both JPEG and MPO file formats.

Sweep Panorama Mode
Capture expansive landscapes automatically. Press the shutter, sweep vertically or horizontally. The camera does the rest, continuously shooting images and stitching them together. Up to 23 MP image size. Up to 202 degrees maximum sweep angle (16mm focal length).

6-image layering
The camera leverages the large, APS-C image sensor and captures six images in a fraction of a second. The camera then combines the data from the 6 different images to create a single image. This method is used to control blur in Anti-Motion Blur mode or to get cleaner, sharper nighttime pictures in Hand-held Twilight mode.

Auto HDR
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography captures more scene contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining the best highlight detail from one shot and the best shadow detail from another for one incredible shot. Until recently, you needed a computer and editing software. Sony builds HDR in. Handles severe backlighting and other high-contrast scenes. Captures in a split second. (Recommended for still subjects.)

P/A/S/M operating modes
The NEX-5N offers a full range of controls for video and still shooting from the beginner's iAUTO mode to P/A/S/M: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. On-screen prompts help you refine your skills, build your confidence and exercise greater creative control.

Intelligent Auto Focus
Pre-focuses as you compose the shot, further reducing focusing time to a bare minimum.

iAUTO mode
Unifies and simplifies Sony intelligent technologies. Takes advantage of Intelligent Scene Recognition, Face Detection technology, and Optical SteadyShot image stabilization without leaving auto mode so you always get the best shot.

Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO)
Dynamic Range Optimizer improves results with backlit subjects and recovers details hidden in shadows. Settings include Auto, Level with a choice of five operating levels and Off.

Accepts Sony E-mount lenses
Compatible with Sony's E-mount series of smaller, lighter lenses designed specifically for a compact interchangeable lens cameras. Opens up a world of creative options.

Phase Detect AF for E-mount bodies w/ adapter
Both the LA-EA1 and EA2 adapters (sold separately) allow you to attach A-mount lenses to your E-mount camera. However, the LA-EA2 is the world's first adapter to leverage Sony's exclusive Translucent Mirror Technology to provide super fast and accurate Phase Detection AF as well. The LA-EA2 adapter has a translucent mirror built-in between the two mounts that directs a small portion of the light to the phase detection AF sensor in the bottom of the unit.

25-point Auto Focus
25 sensors cover a very wide area of the scene, for accurate focusing even when the subject is far from the center of the frame.

HDMI output
Enjoy HD movies and stunning still images on a compatible HDTV. The camera includes an HDMI output.

Stamina battery power for up to 430 shots
Take up to 430 shots on a single charge with Sony lithium ion Stamina battery power. Sony's InfoLITHIUM battery system enables you to see the percent of power remaining, so you can keep shooting in confidence.

Sony NEX-5N - User Comments

"The greatest part, for me, is it's one of the few cameras that can use just about any lens ever made (with the appropriate adapter), thanks to its extremely short registration distance..."

"The video quality is excellent. It also have silent auto tracking focus, which allows me to video taping my fast moving 5 year old..."

"...Sony NEX-5N is wonderfully simple to operate, and the results are outstanding..."

Sony NEX-5N - Cons:

"I just got the Sony NEX-5N, and it has the clicking sound on every video I record..."

"... the flash design is flawed. the screw that secures the attachment of the flash to the top of the camera battery is inaccessible to those that have big fingers!"

Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Touchscreen Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)

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