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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T

Portability
65
Imaging
74
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5T front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
79
Overall
66

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Introduced April 2017
  • Updated by Sony A9 II
Sony NEX-5T
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Launched August 2013
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5R
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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5T, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are created by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the A9 (24MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the A9 (Full frame) and NEX-5T (APS-C) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The A9 was unveiled 3 years after the NEX-5T which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the A9 scores against the NEX-5T with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

 A9 NEX-5T 
LaunchedApril 2017August 2013More modern by 45 months
Screen resolution1440k922kCrisper screen (+518k dot)

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

 NEX-5T A9 
Selfie screen Easy selfies

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

 A9 NEX-5T 
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Sony A9 offers exterior dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5T has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

See the Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5T in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the A9 and the NEX-5T.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A9 and NEX-5T is 65 and 89 respectively.

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

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes just by looking through specs. The image below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A9 and NEX-5T.

All in all, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The A9 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony A9 will render more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more modern A9 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Sony A9 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Portrait photography camera
84
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
74
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 Street photography info
Sony NEX-5T Street photography info
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
provides touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (51,200)
80
tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
offers focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 Sports photography factors
Sony NEX-5T Sports photography factors
87
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
max fps high (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
great battery life (650 shots)
comes with phase detect autofocus
69
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features tracking focus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A9 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Travel photography camera
74
great battery life (650 CIPA)
weather proof
supports bluetooth
provides touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
77
offers focus by touch
good MP (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse mode
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A9
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5T
86
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
great high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
great battery life (650 per charge)
2 card slots
70
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Vlogging camera
37
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
73
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
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Sony A9 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony NEX-5T
 Sony Alpha A9Sony Alpha NEX-5T
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A9 Sony Alpha NEX-5T
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2017-04-19 2013-08-27
Body design 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 measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 6000 x 4000 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 51200 25600
Max enhanced ISO 204800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 693 99
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Sony E Sony E
Total lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,440 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 3,686 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.00 m (ISO100)
Flash settings 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 673g (1.48 pounds) 276g (0.61 pounds)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 92 78
DXO Color Depth rating 24.9 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 13.0
DXO Low light rating 3517 1015
Other
Battery life 650 shots 330 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two Single
Retail cost $4,498 $400