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Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950

Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Key Specs

Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Launched October 2011
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-5R
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Revealed February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Overview

Following is a comprehensive analysis of the Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the NEX-5N (16MP) and S950 (10MP) and the NEX-5N (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The NEX-5N was released 2 years after the S950 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a concise summation of how the NEX-5N scores vs the S950 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony S950

 NEX-5N S950 
RevealedOctober 2011February 2009More modern by 32 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Sony NEX-5N

 S950 NEX-5N 

Common features in the Sony NEX-5N and Sony S950

 NEX-5N S950 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Sony NEX-5N has physical measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Sony S950 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the NEX-5N versus the S950.

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-5N and S950 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes only by looking through a spec sheet. The pic below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5N and S950.

Clearly, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The NEX-5N because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony NEX-5N will result in more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern NEX-5N provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Portrait photography info
Sony S950 Portrait photography info
73
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
26
you can focus manually
no manual exposure
no external flash support
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Street photography info
Sony S950 Street photography info
80
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
boasts touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Sports photography features
Sony S950 Sports photography features
58
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great battery pack (460 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
24
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Travel photography highlights
Sony S950 Travel photography highlights
70
great battery pack (460 shots)
boasts touch focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
50
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5N
Landscape photography with Sony S950
71
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse function
31
you can focus manually
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual exposure
MP count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony NEX-5N
Vlogging with Sony S950
33
touchscreen
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have external mic port
9
can't shoot video
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Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-5N and Sony S950
 Sony Alpha NEX-5NSony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-5N Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-10-03 2009-02-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4912 x 3264 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Number of lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest 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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 269 grams (0.59 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 77 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 1079 not tested
Other
Battery life 460 photos -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model NPFW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $550 $130