Sony Alpha NEX-5N Pro Reviews

The niggles I mentioned earlier might not be major sticky points for all users but they did put me off from recommending this camera wholeheartedly. It is quite unfortunate because in all other respects this revamped NEX model is very much the business, improving on its predecessor in sensible and efficient ways.

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N is a great camera with wonderful image quality. It’s an excellent option for experienced photographers or beginners who want a camera with most of the performance of a DSLR in a smaller package. I really enjoyed my time with it and would have happily continued using it if Sony didn’t need it back right away. It’s not the smallest mirrorless option out there but the benefit of going a little bigger is much better image quality than most of the competition. And it’s still a lot smaller than a comparable digital SLR. If I were to buy the Sony NEX-5N, I wouldn’t buy the 18-55mm and 55-210mm lenses that they sent me. Instead, I’d probably go with the Sony 16mm f/2.8 prime lens and the Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS zoom. It’s a chunk of a lens and I don’t know how the image quality is, but I’ve used the Canon and Nikon 18-200mm zooms and it’s a really nice all-purpose zoom range to have in one lens.

A friendly, stylish compact camera that takes exceptional photos and videos. It's expensive, but worth every penny.

Still, the Sony NEX-5N is unquestionably a more feasible take-anywhere camera than pretty-much any SLR camera, and its combination of image quality and feature set make it fairly easy for me to look past the occasional wrinkle here or there. More often than not, I found myself grabbing the NEX-5N from our well-stocked shelf when I left the office for a little photographic R&R. That, in my book, is the mark of a camera worth owning, and for that reason the Sony NEX-5N earns a clear Dave's Pick.

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N builds on the ground established by the 1st generation NEX-5 to provide a mirrorless ILC with features and performance that take this form factor to the next level. In a series of firmware revisions, Sony has repositioned the NEX-3 and NEX-5, responding to consumer demand for a more enthusiast-friendly camera providing greater control and the NEX-5N continues in this vein. Sony has increased the sensor resolution without compromising on quality or low light performance, improved response times, added better quality video and a range of hardware options that further extend this camera's capabilities. At the same time, by introducing a touch screen, enhancing Creative Control, extending Picture Effects and adding new HDR modes it's made the NEX-5 more consumer friendly. That's no easy feat to manage, but Sony has pulled it off and produced one of the most compelling mirrorless ILC models on the market and one we have no hesitation in granting our Highly recommended award.

Sony's not flinching against the flurry of new Compact System Cameras hitting the market. With smaller-sensor, smaller designs making up the majority of the competition, the NEX-5N's impressive image quality can happily boast to have among the best image quality going. To take the already impressive NEX-5 and better it is a job well done. For moving image fanatics, too, the NEX-5N provides more manual movie control and better final quality than any of its competitors in this price bracket. It's impressive stuff. However, wideangle settings may cause issues with barrel distortion and longer lenses may make the system a little large overall, plus the menu layout still isn't as intuitive as it could be and the touchscreen could be better used. Many will love the 5N's pick-up-and-shoot ease of use, variety of creative modes and DSLR-like image quality. When the NEX-5N gets things right it really gets them right.

While the original NEX-5 and NEX-3 models left us a little cold, the new NEX-5N is an excellent all-round compact system camera (CSC) that successfully appeals to beginners and more experience users alike. While it looks almost identical to its predeccesor, faster focusing, less shutter lag, better video and stills, and an intuitive touchscreen interface are just some of the many improvements that have taken place under the hood, making this the best NEX camera and one of the best CSC's that we've reviewed.

A few minor flaws don't change the fact that this is a breathtakingly impressive camera

The Sony NEX-5N and additional lenses, viewfinder, and new adapter give the NEX system added versatility, and a much more useful range of choices regarding lenses. The touch screen is an improvement in the way the NEX-5 is controlled as it helps make up for the limited number of buttons on the original NEX-5, aids access to options, and ultimately makes it an easier camera to use. It also makes it a more fun camera to use, particularly when viewing photos. The optional viewfinder is extremely impressive, with stunning detail and colour, although the addition of the EVF does stop you from using flash. Image quality appears to be excellent, and even though megapixels have increased, the camera is still providing low noise levels, with the addition of a new ISO25600 range giving additional usefulness in extremely low light. The new 50mm f/1.8 Portrait lens also helps in low light. This could be the best NEX and whilst a subtle update, it gives quicker performance in use (including an impressive 10fps shooting), better battery life, higher resolution, touch screen aids control and there are new lenses available, which will be especially good news to anyone who has already bought into the NEX system.

It's hard to knock the Sony NEX-5N at its suggested price of £599 with 18-55mm kit zoom. Yes, this is more than an entry-level digital SLR, but the NEX is going for a different market, and in that respect delivers most of what it sets out to do.

The NEX-5N has two major things going for it: image quality and its HD movie mode. There’s no other compact system camera out there that can better the 5N’s images (except, perhaps, for the as-yet-untested NEX-7), though the distortion at wide-angle settings can make for edge softness issues. As for the second point: the 1080p movie mode is exceptional in quality, control and performance terms. In fact we’d go as far as saying there’s no other CSC out there at this price point that’s as good in this department. However where it excels in image quality results, the 5N may feel a little lacklustre in the performance department. It’s not bad, it’s just not advanced enough beyond the original NEX-5 - and in that period Olympus, Panasonic and Nikon have developed focusing systems that are far more impressive than the Sony’s. The slow start up time, too, makes the 5N feel a tad sluggish. But for image obsessives looking for top quality, look no further: the NEX-5N outputs stunning shots. It’s a worthy step forward for the NEX system.

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N delivers a lot of performance from its compact body, packing a sensor as large as those found in most digital SLRs and recording video in full 1080p HD. But it doesn't quite edge out its little brother, the NEX-C3, our Editors' Choice.

In terms of image quality the NEX-5N sits untouched at the top of the mirrorless interchangeable lens compact category. The low-light capability of its APS-C format CMOS sensor matches or exceeds what we've come to expect from the best of the current crop of APS-C DSLRs as well. Considering its sub $700 price point this is truly impressive, and makes the 5N a very attractive option for anyone looking to upgrade from a compact camera, or even as a second body alongside a more conventional DSLR outfit.

An especially good option for people who want a relatively inexpensive ILC for shooting video, the Sony Alpha NEX-5N's photo quality's about the same as its cheaper sibling's.