Sony A380 vs Sony NEX-5

Below is a in depth review of the Sony A380 vs Sony NEX-5, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are sold by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A380 (14MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is very comparable and both cameras offer the identical sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A380 was announced 9 months earlier than the NEX-5 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a quick summary of how the A380 matches up against the NEX-5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The whole galleries are available at Sony A380 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A380 offers outside measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Sony A380 vs Sony NEX-5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the A380 vs the NEX-5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A380 and NEX-5 is 68 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The graphic below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the A380 and NEX-5.

All in all, each of these cameras come with the identical sensor size and the identical resolution so you can expect comparable quality of images but you will need to take the age of the cameras into account. The older A380 will be behind in sensor tech.