Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX10 III

Below is a detailed analysis of the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX10 III, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Sony. The sensor resolution of the NEX-5R (16MP) and the RX10 III (20MP) is very similar but the NEX-5R (APS-C) and RX10 III (1") use different sensor dimensions.

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The NEX-5R was brought out 4 years prior to the RX10 III and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the NEX-5R scores vs the RX10 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-5R & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III. The entire galleries are available at Sony NEX-5R Gallery & Sony RX10 III Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5R features outer measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Sony RX10 III has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") along with a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX10 III in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the NEX-5R and the RX10 III.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the NEX-5R and RX10 III is 89 and 53 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements just by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-5R and RX10 III.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-5R due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony RX10 III will offer more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older NEX-5R is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.