Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R
77 Imaging
60 Features
73 Overall
65


89 Imaging
57 Features
76 Overall
64
Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 409600
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
- Released April 2014
- Replacement is Sony A7S II
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
- Revealed August 2012
- Replaced the Sony NEX-5N
- New Model is Sony NEX-5T

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Overview
On this page, we are reviewing the Sony A7S versus Sony NEX-5R, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both built by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the A7S (12MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the A7S (Full frame) and NEX-5R (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

The A7S was unveiled 20 months later than the NEX-5R making them a generation apart from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a concise summary of how the A7S matches up versus the NEX-5R for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha A7S and Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The full galleries are available at Sony A7S Gallery and Sony NEX-5R Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Sony NEX-5R
A7S | NEX-5R | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | April 2014 | ![]() | August 2012 | More recent by 20 months |
Display resolution | 1230k | ![]() | 920k | Crisper display (+310k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Sony A7S
NEX-5R | A7S | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5R
A7S | NEX-5R | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither features selfie screen |
Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison
If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Sony A7S enjoys outer measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") with a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5R has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).
Take a look at the Sony A7S versus Sony NEX-5R in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the A7S against the NEX-5R.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A7S and NEX-5R is 77 and 89 respectively.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The visual here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A7S and NEX-5R.
All in all, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A7S with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony NEX-5R will provide you with greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent A7S will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications
Sony Alpha A7S | Sony Alpha NEX-5R | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Sony | Sony |
Model type | Sony Alpha A7S | Sony Alpha NEX-5R |
Category | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2014-04-06 | 2012-08-29 |
Physical type | 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 | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4240 x 2832 | 4912 x 3264 |
Highest native ISO | 409600 | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 25 | 99 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Sony E | Sony E |
Number of lenses | 121 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Tilting | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 1,230 thousand dots | 920 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | - | Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic (optional) |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,359 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.71x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
Flash options | no built-in flash | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | - | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
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) |
Highest video resolution | 3840x2160 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC | AVCHD |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 489 gr (1.08 lbs) | 276 gr (0.61 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") | 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 87 | 78 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 23.9 | 23.7 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 13.2 | 13.1 |
DXO Low light rating | 3702 | 910 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 pictures | 330 pictures |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | 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 | With downloadable app |
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail cost | $1,998 | $750 |