Sony NEX-5 vs Sony W690

Its time to look closer at the Sony NEX-5 and Sony W690, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are produced by Sony. The sensor resolution of the NEX-5 (14MP) and the W690 (16MP) is very comparable but the NEX-5 (APS-C) and W690 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The NEX-5 was revealed 21 months prior to the W690 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the NEX-5 scores against the W690 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690. The full galleries are provided at Sony NEX-5 Gallery & Sony W690 Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony NEX-5 enjoys 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 W690 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Examine the Sony NEX-5 and Sony W690 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the NEX-5 against the W690.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-5 and W690 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-5 and W690.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The NEX-5 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony W690 will show greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged NEX-5 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.