Sony A900 vs Sony NEX-5R

In this article, we will be reviewing the Sony A900 vs Sony NEX-5R, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both created by Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the A900 (25MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the A900 (Full frame) and NEX-5R (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

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The A900 was announced 4 years prior to the NEX-5R and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the A900 matches up against the NEX-5R in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The whole galleries are provided at Sony A900 Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A900 enjoys external dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5R has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Look at the Sony A900 vs Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the A900 compared to the NEX-5R.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A900 and NEX-5R is 54 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing just by going through specs. The graphic here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the A900 and NEX-5R.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A900 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony A900 will provide more detail with its extra 9MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older A900 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.