Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N

Here, we are contrasting the Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5N, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both produced by Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the A9 (24MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the A9 (Full frame) and NEX-5N (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The A9 was announced 5 years after the NEX-5N which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a full comparison, here is a brief summary of how the A9 scores versus the NEX-5N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha A9 & Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A9 Gallery & Sony NEX-5N Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony A9 enjoys external measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5N has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Look at the Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5N in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the A9 and the NEX-5N.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the A9 and NEX-5N is 65 and 89 respectively.

Often, its hard to picture the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over specs. The pic underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the A9 and NEX-5N.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A9 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony A9 will deliver extra detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The younger A9 should have a benefit in sensor tech.