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Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A200
  • Replacement is Sony A290
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
  • Released August 2012
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5N
  • Later Model is Sony NEX-5T
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Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Sony A230 versus Sony NEX-5R, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are built by Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the A230 (10MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) but they feature the same exact sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The A230 was manufactured 4 years prior to the NEX-5R which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a concise view of how the A230 matches up vs the NEX-5R in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Sony NEX-5R

 A230 NEX-5R 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Sony A230

 NEX-5R A230 
ReleasedAugust 2012May 2009Newer by 39 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A230 and Sony NEX-5R

 A230 NEX-5R 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Sony A230 enjoys external dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5R has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A230 versus Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the A230 and the NEX-5R.

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A230 and NEX-5R is 69 and 89 respectively.

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R top view buttons comparison

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by looking through a spec sheet. The image here may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A230 and NEX-5R.

Clearly, both of those cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Sony NEX-5R to render extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged A230 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R sensor size comparison

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A230
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5R
54
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
74
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A230
Street photography with Sony NEX-5R
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen does not articulate
80
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A230 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5R as a Sports photography camera
46
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (230 shots)
68
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A230
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5R
45
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (230 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
73
boasts focus by touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A230 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-5R Landscape photography highlights
51
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.7 inches)
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
not so great battery pack (230 shots)
no Timelapse recording
75
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A230 Vlogging factors
Sony NEX-5R Vlogging factors
9
no video
31
touchscreen capability
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
no external microphone port
Photography Glossary

Sony A230 vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A230 and Sony NEX-5R
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230Sony Alpha NEX-5R
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2009-05-18 2012-08-29
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3872 x 2592 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 99
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Amount of lenses 143 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 490 grams (1.08 lb) 276 grams (0.61 lb)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 63 78
DXO Color Depth rating 22.3 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.4 13.1
DXO Low light rating 531 910
Other
Battery life 230 photos 330 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $569 $750