Abstract: Sony is the latest camera manufacturer to release a compact mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras. The Alpha NEX-5, which we have here, is the smallest interchangeable lens camera to date and it makes the Panasonic L...
The Sony NEX-5 feels really slim and tiny in the hand, but the magnesium alloy body also makes it feel reassuringly sturdy. The lens mount and lenses click snugly into place.The anti-reflective 3-inch screen is sharp and can be tilted for tricky angles, while button-wise, the lineup is very simple – three buttons and a control wheel next to the screen plus shutter, video and playback up top. The
There's no built-in optical viewfinder, which might annoy some dedicated photography fans. ISO, metering, focus are all controlled vis menu screens, so there's via the menu screens and there's a little bit of a lag. The battery life is slightly disappointing: we found it powering down pretty quickly, especially given the lack of physical controls.There’s no built-in flash, but Sony includes a sma
The Sony NEX-5 is tiny and it takes DSLR-quality pictures as well as offering up some special shooting modes and decent HD video.It's an impressive first step in this new breed of ultra-compact performers and we can forgive the few kinks we found due t...
Better than compact camera quality from (almost) compact camera proportions
Oblong design resembles more prototype than finished item, fiddly scroll wheel and function access requires period of familiarisation
More of an exercise in matching rivals than raising the bar further, this is a competent alternative to packing both a snapshot and a DSLR on your travels.
Overall, the NEX-5 accomplishes almost everything it sets out to do. It's slim and compact (particularly with the pancake lens). It's got a lovely LCD, a reasonable selection of lenses, and a better autofocus than its competitors. It also looks fantast...
Small size; excellent build quality and finish; tilting, high-resolution display; APS-C sensor; good high-ISO image quality
Awkward user interface; limited movie controls; daft clip-on flash
Beginners stepping up from a Sony Cyber-shot compact camera will feel instantly at home with the NEX-5, and will love the huge jump in quality. But, if what you really want is a digital SLR in a pint-sized package, this camera isn't for you. The manua...
Pluses, Excellent build and tiny size, Very attractive rotating screen, Quality of photos and noise handling, 1080i HD video with continuous autofocus and stereo sound, Onthefly panoramas or long exposure shots with not tripod
Minuses, Useless flash port, Not enough direct access to key settings, Not easy for everybody to hold, A little slow to start up
