Sony A7 vs Sony NEX-5

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Sony A7 versus Sony NEX-5, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are built by Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the A7 (24MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) and the A7 (Full frame) and NEX-5 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A7 was introduced 3 years after the NEX-5 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the A7 scores vs the NEX-5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha A7 and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A7 Gallery and Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A7 has outer dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") with a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Check out the Sony A7 versus Sony NEX-5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the A7 compared to the NEX-5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the A7 and NEX-5 is 78 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it can be tough to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions only by going through specs. The picture underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the A7 and NEX-5.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A7 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony A7 will provide extra detail using its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger A7 provides an advantage in sensor technology.