Sony NEX-5R vs Sony WX500

Its time to look more in depth at the Sony NEX-5R versus Sony WX500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are produced by Sony. The image resolution of the NEX-5R (16MP) and the WX500 (18MP) is very close but the NEX-5R (APS-C) and WX500 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The NEX-5R was revealed 3 years prior to the WX500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the NEX-5R grades against the WX500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-5R & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The full galleries are available at Sony NEX-5R Gallery & Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5R provides outer measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs) whilst the Sony WX500 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Examine the Sony NEX-5R versus Sony WX500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the NEX-5R versus the WX500.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-5R and WX500 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions purely by looking through specifications. The pic below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-5R and WX500.

To sum up, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The NEX-5R having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Sony WX500 will result in extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged NEX-5R will be behind in sensor tech.