Sony NEX-5 at a glance:

• 14.2 million effective pixels
• APS-C-sized sensor
• New Sony NEX system
• Currently the smallest interchangeable-lens digital camera available
• Street price approximately £560 with kit lens

Scores:

• Features - 9/10
• Build and Handling - 8/10
• White balance and Colour - 8/10
• Metering - 8/10
• Autofocus - 7/10
• Noise, Resolution and Sensitivity - 28/30
• Dynamic range - 8/10
• LCD, Viewfinder, Live View and Video - 7/10

Tested as: Micro-system camera
Rated Very good
Overall score: 83%

Sony NEX-5 review - Introduction

It was back in February that we first discovered Sony’s plan to create a interchangeable-lens compact camera with an APS-C-size sensor. A prototype was on display at the annual Photographic Marketing Association (PMA) show, held this year in Anaheim, USA.

That prototype appears to have evolved into the NEX-3, which, along with the Sony NEX-5 tested here, was officially launched on 11 May. Both models have very small, compact camera bodies, and are the smallest and lightest micro-system cameras (MSC) currently available. Sony hopes the small size will give them mass-market appeal and attract those seeking more from a digital camera but who don’t want to buy a DSLR. Consequently, Sony has kept the number of controls to a minimum and made the on-screen menus large, clear and informative.

The Sony NEX-5 also has an impressively small flange depth of just 18mm between the lens mount and sensor. While this helps to keep the size of the camera to a minimum, it also has the potential to introduce optical problems, such as distortion, edge sharpness and chromatic aberrations. Although the NEX-series cameras use the new Alpha E mount rather than the regular Alpha mount, an adapter will be available at launch to allow existing Alpha-mount lenses to be used on NEX cameras. The main problem for the NEX system is the competition it will face from Olympus, Panasonic and Samsung, as these companies have already launched micro-system cameras.

One way Sony plans to make the Sony NEX-5 stand out from the crowd is by equipping it with Full, 1080p HD video. This video is compressed using the full version of the AVCHD codec, unlike the AVCHD Lite codec that is used in the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds range. Sony has a track record of producing stylish electronic goods, and has a successful range of Cyber-shot compact digital cameras. Add to this a pedigree in DSLRs inherited from Konica Minolta when Sony bought that company’s DSLR division and it becomes interesting to see exactly what influence these areas of the business have had on the Sony NEX-5.

Next page: Features

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