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Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
55
Imaging
55
Features
41
Overall
49
Canon EOS 5D front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Canon 5D
(Full Review)
  • 13MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 895g - 152 x 113 x 75mm
  • Revealed November 2005
  • Updated by Canon 5D MII
Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced October 2011
  • Older Model is Sony NEX-5
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-5R
Photography Glossary

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Here is a extended comparison of the Canon 5D and Sony NEX-5N, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Canon and Sony. The resolution of the 5D (13MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is very close but the 5D (Full frame) and NEX-5N (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

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The 5D was launched 6 years prior to the NEX-5N and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Canon 5D being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the 5D grades vs the NEX-5N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D over the Sony NEX-5N

 5D NEX-5N 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Canon 5D

 NEX-5N 5D 
IntroducedOctober 2011November 2005Fresher by 71 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Canon 5D and Sony NEX-5N

 5D NEX-5N 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon 5D features outside dimensions of 152mm x 113mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.4" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5N has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon 5D and Sony NEX-5N in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the 5D compared to the NEX-5N.

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the 5D and NEX-5N is 55 and 89 respectively.

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing just by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5D and NEX-5N.

As you can see, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The 5D due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony NEX-5N will result in more detail utilizing its extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively. The older 5D will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-5N Portrait photography advice
65
focusing manually
MP count good (13 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
73
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 5D
Street photography with Sony NEX-5N
56
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
80
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
comes with focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography advice
55
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
MP count good (13 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
bad battery (800 shots)
58
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
better than average battery life (460 CIPA)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D Travel photography information
Sony NEX-5N Travel photography information
49
environment sealing
MP count good (13 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
bad battery (800 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
70
better than average battery life (460 shots)
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D Landscape photography info
Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography info
54
focusing manually
switch lenses (Canon EF mount)
MP count good (13 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
screen is small (2.5 inches)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
bad battery (800 shots)
lack of Time Lapse mode
71
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (460 per charge)
no image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D Vlogging info
Sony NEX-5N Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
33
touchscreen capability
features face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone support
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Canon 5D vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D and Sony NEX-5N
 Canon EOS 5DSony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Brand Canon Sony
Model Canon EOS 5D Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2005-11-12 2011-10-03
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Digic II Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 13MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4368 x 2912 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Canon EF Sony E
Amount of lenses 250 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 96% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings External Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/200s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 895g (1.97 pounds) 269g (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 152 x 113 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.4" x 3.0") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 77
DXO Color Depth score 22.9 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.1 12.7
DXO Low light score 1368 1079
Other
Battery life 800 images 460 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BP-511A NPFW50
Self timer Yes (10 sec (2 sec with mirror lock-up)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $2,780 $550