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Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83
Sony Alpha A99 II front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A99
Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Released October 2011
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5
  • Refreshed by Sony NEX-5R
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Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Lets look more closely at the Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both sold by Sony. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the A99 II (42MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the A99 II (Full frame) and NEX-5N (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The A99 II was introduced 5 years after the NEX-5N which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the A99 II matches up versus the NEX-5N with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Sony NEX-5N

 A99 II NEX-5N 
ReleasedSeptember 2016October 2011Newer by 61 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k920kClearer screen (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony A99 II

 NEX-5N A99 II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A99 II and Sony NEX-5N

 A99 II NEX-5N 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to travel with your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Sony A99 II has outer measurements of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") and a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5N has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the A99 II versus the NEX-5N.

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the A99 II and NEX-5N is 57 and 89 respectively.

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by checking out a spec sheet. The picture underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the A99 II and NEX-5N.

Clearly, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The A99 II having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony A99 II will provide extra detail using its extra 26 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The fresher A99 II will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A99 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
86
manual focus
fantastic megapixels (42MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
73
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A99 II as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Street photography camera
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
above average high ISO (25,600)
80
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A99 II as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Sports photography camera
82
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic megapixels (42 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
not so great battery power (490 per charge)
58
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good battery pack (460 CIPA)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A99 II
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5N
70
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
fantastic megapixels (42MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery power (490 per charge)
70
good battery pack (460 shots)
supports touch to focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A99 II Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography features
82
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic megapixels (42 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
two card slots
not so great battery power (490 per charge)
71
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (460 per charge)
no image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A99 II Vlogging info
Sony NEX-5N Vlogging info
78
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has microphone socket
33
built-in touchscreen
provides face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
does not have mic support
Photography Glossary

Sony A99 II vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A99 II and Sony NEX-5N
 Sony Alpha A99 IISony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A99 II Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2016-09-19 2011-10-03
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 42MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 7952 x 5304 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 102400 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 399 25
Cross type focus points 79 -
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Available lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,229 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 12.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 849 grams (1.87 lb) 269 grams (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 92 77
DXO Color Depth rating 25.4 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.4 12.7
DXO Low light rating 2317 1079
Other
Battery life 490 images 460 images
Battery style NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Two One
Retail pricing $3,198 $550