Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10

Let's take a deeper look at the Sony NEX-5 and Sony RX10, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the NEX-5 (14MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the NEX-5 (APS-C) and RX10 (1") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The NEX-5 was announced 4 years before the RX10 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the NEX-5 grades against the RX10 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-5 Gallery and Sony RX10 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-5 has got outside dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 has sizing of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") and a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check the Sony NEX-5 and Sony RX10 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the NEX-5 against the RX10.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the NEX-5 and RX10 is 89 and 58 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing only by researching specs. The visual below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the NEX-5 and RX10.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The NEX-5 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony RX10 will provide you with more detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older NEX-5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.