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Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Launched January 2008
  • Refreshed by Sony A330
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
  • Introduced October 2011
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-5R
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Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Lets look closer at the Sony A300 versus Sony NEX-5N, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both built by Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the A300 (10MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The A300 was announced 4 years before the NEX-5N and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the A300 matches up against the NEX-5N for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Sony NEX-5N

 A300 NEX-5N 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony A300

 NEX-5N A300 
IntroducedOctober 2011January 2008More recent by 44 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A300 and Sony NEX-5N

 A300 NEX-5N 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A300 provides outside measurements of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A300 versus Sony NEX-5N in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the A300 and the NEX-5N.

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A300 and NEX-5N is 64 and 89 respectively.

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A300 and NEX-5N.

Clearly, both of those cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Sony NEX-5N to resolve greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A300 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A300 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A300
Street photography with Sony NEX-5N
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
80
has a tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
has touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A300 Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography highlights
54
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
58
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery power (460 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A300 Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-5N Travel photography factors
45
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
better than average battery power (460 shots)
has touch focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A300 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography highlights
57
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
lack of Time Lapse recording
71
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A300
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5N
9
can't shoot video
33
touch screen
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of external mic support
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Sony A300 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A300 and Sony NEX-5N
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300Sony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2008-01-30 2011-10-03
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.6 x 15.8mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 372.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3872 x 2592 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Amount of lenses 143 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.49x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160s
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)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632 grams (1.39 lbs) 269 grams (0.59 lbs)
Physical dimensions 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 77
DXO Color Depth score 22.5 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.4 12.7
DXO Low light score 538 1079
Other
Battery life - 460 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $0 $550