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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Revealed April 2017
  • New Model is Sony A9 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
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-5
  • New Model is Sony NEX-5R
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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Sony NEX-5N

 A9 NEX-5N 
RevealedApril 2017October 2011Newer by 68 months
Display resolution1440k920kSharper display (+520k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony A9

 NEX-5N A9 

Common features in the Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5N

 A9 NEX-5N 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

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

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A9 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
83
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW formats
73
has manual focus
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 Street photography info
Sony NEX-5N Street photography info
79
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
features touch to focus
environment sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
80
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
includes focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 Sports photography factors
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography factors
86
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
high frames per second (20.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
better than average battery (650 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
58
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good battery power (460 shots)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A9 Travel photography info
Sony NEX-5N Travel photography info
73
better than average battery (650 shots)
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
features touch to focus
megapixel count decent (24MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
good battery power (460 per charge)
includes focus via touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A9
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5N
85
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
better than average battery (650 shots)
has double storage slots
71
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
33
touchscreen functionality
provides face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
lack of mic support
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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5N
 Sony Alpha A9Sony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A9 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2017-04-19 2011-10-03
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip BIONZ X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 847.3mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 51200 25600
Highest boosted ISO 204800 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 693 25
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Total lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,440k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 3,686k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 20.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 673 gr (1.48 pounds) 269 gr (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 92 77
DXO Color Depth rating 24.9 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 12.7
DXO Low light rating 3517 1079
Other
Battery life 650 images 460 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 1
Launch price $4,498 $550