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Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-6 front
Portability
85
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Key Specs

Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5N
Sony NEX-6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 345g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Introduced March 2013
  • Replacement is Sony A6000
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Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Sony. The resolution of the NEX-5 (14MP) and the NEX-6 (16MP) is pretty well matched and both cameras posses the same sensor size (APS-C).

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The NEX-5 was unveiled 3 years before the NEX-6 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the NEX-5 matches up vs the NEX-6 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Sony NEX-6

 NEX-5 NEX-6 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-6 over the Sony NEX-5

 NEX-6 NEX-5 
IntroducedMarch 2013June 2010More recent by 34 months
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Sony NEX-5 and Sony NEX-6

 NEX-5 NEX-6 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-5 provides physical measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs) while the Sony NEX-6 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Compare the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the NEX-5 versus the NEX-6.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the NEX-5 and NEX-6 is 89 and 85 respectively.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements merely by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5 and NEX-6.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Sony NEX-6 to give greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs more aggressively. The older NEX-5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-6 Portrait photography highlights
72
manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony NEX-5
Street photography with Sony NEX-6
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
78
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lighter than others in class (345g)
very good ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Sports photography camera
52
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
no image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
66
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony NEX-5
Travel photography with Sony NEX-6
59
good MP (14 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
75
lighter than others in class (345 grams)
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Landscape photography camera
68
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
does not have Timelapse function
75
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Vlogging camera
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
does not have external microphone socket
32
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (345g)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
does not have microphone port
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony NEX-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-5 and Sony NEX-6
 Sony Alpha NEX-5Sony Alpha NEX-6
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-6
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2010-06-07 2013-03-25
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 25 99
Lens
Lens mount Sony E Sony E
Available lenses 121 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - Xtra Fine LCD with Tilt Up 90� and Down 45�
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD MPEG-4, 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 287 grams (0.63 lb) 345 grams (0.76 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 69 78
DXO Color Depth score 22.2 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 13.1
DXO Low light score 796 1018
Other
Battery life 330 photos 360 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NPFW50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $599 $365