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Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65
Sony Alpha A7S front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Revealed April 2014
  • Refreshed by Sony A7S II
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
  • Revealed October 2011
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5R
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Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Here, we are matching up the Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are manufactured by Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the A7S (12MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the A7S (Full frame) and NEX-5N (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The A7S was revealed 2 years later than the NEX-5N and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a brief overview of how the A7S matches up against the NEX-5N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Sony NEX-5N

 A7S NEX-5N 
RevealedApril 2014October 2011More recent by 31 months
Display resolution1230k920kSharper display (+310k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony A7S

 NEX-5N A7S 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5N

 A7S NEX-5N 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Sony A7S has got outer measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") along with a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5N has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the A7S against the NEX-5N.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A7S and NEX-5N is 77 and 89 respectively.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by going over specs. The graphic underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the A7S and NEX-5N.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A7S with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony NEX-5N will deliver more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more recent A7S provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7S as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
68
you can focus manually
large sensor size (Full frame)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
73
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A7S Street photography features
Sony NEX-5N Street photography features
76
screen tilts up and down
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (489 grams)
above average high ISO (409,600)
does not have image stabilization
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
features touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sony A7S as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Sports photography camera
52
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery life (360 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
58
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good battery power (460 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7S Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-5N Travel photography factors
58
lighter than competition in class (489 grams)
weather proof
bad battery life (360 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
good battery power (460 CIPA)
features touch focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
no Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A7S
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5N
66
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
large sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (409,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery life (360 CIPA)
71
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
good battery power (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Vlogging camera
34
features face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external microphone socket
lighter than competition in class (489 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
33
built-in touchscreen
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
no external microphone port
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Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5N
 Sony Alpha A7SSony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7S Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2014-04-06 2011-10-03
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.8 x 23.9mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 855.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4240 x 2832 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 409600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony E
Number of lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 489 gr (1.08 lb) 269 gr (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 87 77
DXO Color Depth score 23.9 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 13.2 12.7
DXO Low light score 3702 1079
Other
Battery life 360 photos 460 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $1,998 $550