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Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65
Sony Alpha A7S front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Sony A7S
(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
Sony NEX-5R
(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
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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.

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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.

Photography Glossary
	
	

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

 A7S NEX-5R 
RevealedApril 2014August 2012More recent by 20 months
Display resolution1230k920kCrisper 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 typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

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

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

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 sensor size comparison

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A7S
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5R
68
you can focus manually
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A7S
Street photography with Sony NEX-5R
76
screen tilts
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
lighter than competition (489 grams)
good ISO range (409,600)
lack of image stabilization
80
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7S Sports photography information
Sony NEX-5R Sports photography information
52
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (360 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
68
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
supports phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7S Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-5R Travel photography factors
58
lighter than competition (489g)
environment sealing
not so great battery life (360 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
73
supports touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A7S
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5R
66
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
big sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (409,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (360 shots)
75
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7S Vlogging features
Sony NEX-5R Vlogging features
34
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone jack
lighter than competition (489 grams)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
31
touchscreen enabled
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5R
 Sony Alpha A7SSony 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