Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980
89 Imaging
56 Features
69 Overall
61
94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(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
- Released October 2011
- Older Model is Sony NEX-5
- Successor is Sony NEX-5R
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Launched February 2009
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On this page, we will be analyzing the Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the NEX-5N (16MP) and S980 (12MP) and the NEX-5N (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe NEX-5N was launched 2 years later than the S980 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.
Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the NEX-5N matches up versus the S980 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Sony Alpha NEX-5N and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The complete galleries are provided at Sony NEX-5N Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony S980
| NEX-5N | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | October 2011 |  | February 2009 | More recent by 32 months |
| Screen type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting screen |
| Screen dimensions | 3" |  | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
| Screen resolution | 920k |  | 230k | Sharper screen (+690k dot) |
| Touch screen |  | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Sony NEX-5N
| S980 | NEX-5N |
|---|
Common features in the Sony NEX-5N and Sony S980
| NEX-5N | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus |  | More precise focusing | ||
| Selfie screen |  | Neither provides selfie screen |
Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
If you're going to lug around your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5N provides outer measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Sony S980 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Look at the Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the NEX-5N compared to the S980.
Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-5N and S980 is 89 and 94 respectively.
Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it is very tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by checking specifications. The visual below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5N and S980.
To sum up, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-5N because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony NEX-5N will give you more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The newer NEX-5N should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.
Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder
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Sony NEX-5N vs Sony S980 Specifications
| Sony Alpha NEX-5N | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Sony | Sony |
| Model type | Sony Alpha NEX-5N | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
| Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
| Released | 2011-10-03 | 2009-02-17 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | Bionz | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | APS-C | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.4 x 15.6mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 365.0mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 4912 x 3264 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
| RAW images | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 25 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Sony E | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
| Macro focusing distance | - | 10cm |
| Available lenses | 121 | - |
| Crop factor | 1.5 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3" | 2.7" |
| Display resolution | 920 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Display technology | Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 30s | 2s |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
| Continuous shooting speed | 10.0fps | 1.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 12.00 m | 3.50 m |
| Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/160s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video format | AVCHD | Motion JPEG |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| 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 | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 269g (0.59 lbs) | 167g (0.37 lbs) |
| Physical 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 All around rating | 77 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.6 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.7 | not tested |
| DXO Low light rating | 1079 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 460 pictures | - |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery ID | NPFW50 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage media | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Pricing at launch | $550 | $300 |