Sony NEX-5R vs Sony RX10 IV

Below, we will be reviewing the Sony NEX-5R versus Sony RX10 IV, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Sony. The sensor resolution of the NEX-5R (16MP) and the RX10 IV (20MP) is pretty close but the NEX-5R (APS-C) and RX10 IV (1") use totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The NEX-5R was released 6 years earlier than the RX10 IV and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple overview of how the NEX-5R grades versus the RX10 IV with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha NEX-5R & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The complete galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-5R Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Sony NEX-5R has exterior measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Sony RX10 IV has specifications of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-5R versus Sony RX10 IV in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the NEX-5R versus the RX10 IV.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-5R and RX10 IV is 89 and 52 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to envision the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through specifications. The graphic here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the NEX-5R and RX10 IV.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The NEX-5R because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX10 IV will render more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older NEX-5R will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.