Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX100

Below is a detailed assessment of the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both created by Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the NEX-5 (14MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the NEX-5 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The NEX-5 was unveiled 3 years before the RX100 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summation of how the NEX-5 grades versus the RX100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The full galleries are provided at Sony NEX-5 Gallery and Sony RX100 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-5 has got physical dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs) while the Sony RX100 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check the Sony NEX-5 vs Sony RX100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the NEX-5 compared to the RX100.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-5 and RX100 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the NEX-5 and RX100.

As you can see, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-5 using its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 will resolve greater detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The older NEX-5 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.