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Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III

Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III front
Portability
53
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Key Specs

Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-5N
Sony RX10 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1051g - 133 x 94 x 127mm
  • Launched March 2016
  • Older Model is Sony RX10 II
  • Successor is Sony RX10 IV
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the NEX-5 (14MP) and RX10 III (20MP) and the NEX-5 (APS-C) and RX10 III (1") offer different sensor measurements.

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The NEX-5 was revealed 6 years prior to the RX10 III and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the NEX-5 scores against the RX10 III for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Sony RX10 III

 NEX-5 RX10 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 III over the Sony NEX-5

 RX10 III NEX-5 
LaunchedMarch 2016June 2010Fresher by 70 months
Screen resolution1229k920kSharper screen (+309k dot)

Common features in the Sony NEX-5 and Sony RX10 III

 NEX-5 RX10 III 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5 has got physical measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs) while the Sony RX10 III has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") accompanied by a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the NEX-5 against the RX10 III.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-5 and RX10 III is 89 and 53 respectively.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing technical specs. The photograph here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5 and RX10 III.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The NEX-5 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony RX10 III will provide you with extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older NEX-5 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX10 III Portrait photography factors
72
focusing manually
MP count decent (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
supports face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Street photography advice
Sony RX10 III Street photography advice
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
64
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
weather proof
heavier than competition (1,051g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Sports photography highlights
Sony RX10 III Sports photography highlights
52
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
70
long zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
better than average battery (420 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Travel photography information
Sony RX10 III Travel photography information
59
MP count decent (14MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly screen
55
better than average battery (420 shots)
weather proof
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
great reach (600mm)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition (1,051 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5
Landscape photography with Sony RX10 III
68
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
64
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
weather proof
better than average battery (420 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.4)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-5 Vlogging highlights
Sony RX10 III Vlogging highlights
28
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have mic jack
28
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external mic port
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.4)
screen is not selfie friendly
heavier than competition (1,051 grams)
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Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX10 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-5 and Sony RX10 III
 Sony Alpha NEX-5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2010-06-07 2016-03-29
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 12800 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 125
RAW support
Min boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens support Sony E fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-600mm (25.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.4-4.0
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0fps 14.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 seconds -
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) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 287g (0.63 pounds) 1051g (2.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") 133 x 94 x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 69 70
DXO Color Depth rating 22.2 23.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 12.6
DXO Low light rating 796 472
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 420 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $599 $1,398