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Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55

Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Announced October 2011
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-5
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-5R
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Renewed by Sony A57
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Sony NEX-5N and Sony A55, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are offered by Sony. The resolution of the NEX-5N (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty close and they use the exact same sensor size (APS-C).

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The NEX-5N was released 14 months later than the A55 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise overview of how the NEX-5N grades vs the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Sony A55

 NEX-5N A55 
IntroducedOctober 2011August 2010Fresher by 14 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony NEX-5N

 A55 NEX-5N 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony NEX-5N and Sony A55

 NEX-5N A55 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony NEX-5N comes with outer measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Sony NEX-5N and Sony A55 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view size comparison of the NEX-5N and the A55.

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-5N and A55 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by researching technical specs. The photograph below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5N and A55.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same resolution and you can expect comparable quality of photographs though you need to take the launch date of the cameras into account. The more modern NEX-5N will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Portrait photography info
Sony A55 Portrait photography info
73
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW files
73
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-5N as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
80
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
has focus via touch
good high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
77
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Sports photography highlights
Sony A55 Sports photography highlights
58
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
better than average battery power (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect AF
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
not so great battery pack (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-5N as a Travel photography camera
Sony A55 as a Travel photography camera
70
better than average battery power (460 per charge)
has focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
62
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (380 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography factors
Sony A55 Landscape photography factors
71
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording
67
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
not so great battery pack (380 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-5N as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
33
touchscreen capability
supports face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
78
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic support
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Sony NEX-5N vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-5N and Sony A55
 Sony Alpha NEX-5NSony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha NEX-5N Sony SLT-A55
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2011-10-03 2010-08-24
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4912 x 3264 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 25 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 121 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269 grams (0.59 lbs) 500 grams (1.10 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 77 73
DXO Color Depth rating 23.6 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 12.4
DXO Low light rating 1079 816
Other
Battery life 460 photographs 380 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NPFW50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $550 $800