Manage updates with the Download AppSony Alpha NEX-5 (with 18-55mm lens, Black)
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: CNETSonyAlphaNEX-5blackwith18-55mmlens
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- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- For a lot of people, the excellent high-sensitivity photo quality, competitive performance, and an ultracompact body will likely outweigh the Sony Alpha NEX-5's quirks and operational annoyances.
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CNET editors' review
Sony Alpha NEX-5 (with 18-55mm lens, Black) price range: $499.99 - $996.82
- Reviewed by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 05/11/2010
- Released on: 07/15/2010
The good: Excellent high-ISO-sensitivity photo quality; quiet, fast lenses good for shooting video and comfortable for manual focus; compact, with a nice physical design and control layout; large, tilting LCD.
The bad: No EVF option; frequently annoying user interface; unusual amount of distortion on 18-55mm kit lens; no neutral image color settings.
The bottom line: For a lot of people, the excellent high-sensitivity photo quality, competitive performance, and an ultracompact body will likely outweigh the Sony Alpha NEX-5's quirks and operational annoyances.
User reviews
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Professional Photographers Review!
by David-Croley on September 11, 2011
Pros: + Quality of the pictures is fantastic
+ Video mode is superb. No rolling shutter artefacts, smooth, hi-res
+ Incredibly easy to use
+ Very compact, lightweight
+ Autofocus is quickCons: - Camera interface very simple
- Battery life isn't greatSummary: Hi folks- if you can't be bothered reading the whole review here's the synopsis...
It's one of the best cameras I've owned. I love it. I ...Summary: Hi folks- if you can't be bothered reading the whole review here's the synopsis...
Edit Link
It's one of the best cameras I've owned. I love it. I was a travel photographer for a few years would have killed to have had this instead of my bulky Nikons!! PLEASE read through to the end, because there is a facet to this camera I haven't heard anyone mention yet and it's the reason I gave it full marks and took the time to review it. Thanks!
Now for the review!
IMAGE QUALITY-
This depends on so many factors, chip size and performance, lens quality, settings etc. We will start with the chip. It's a full size DSLR chip at the end of the day so that speaks volumes in terms of performance. I've shot all kinds of stuff, from hideously bright and contrasty scenes to real pushin' my luck dark shots and it's taken everything in it's stride. The sensor works brilliantly. Images have masses of detail, low noise at high ISO, great colour. THE LENSES are pretty good. I got the kit lens and the 16mm pancake. both very good. I am using both of them professionally so that's gotta tell you something I hope. Very little barrel distortion with either lens. (Just a pointer- you know when you look at lens reviews on websites and they have photo's of straight lines etc to demonstrate lens performance? Just take a look at some of their PROPER photographs. they're generally abysmal. These guys are just camera geeks in my experience....You can worry too much about "distortion" and the like but don't be fretting about NEX-5 image quality. It's great.) The 16mm lens has a liiiiiiitle bit of fringing at the extremities and loses some of it's sharpness at the edge but all the images are fine to A4. If you want perfectly sharp all the way across you ain't gonna get it for $500. sorry. But you WILL get very good pics. And I'm fussy, believe it or not. The kit lens comes with optical image stabilisation which works really well.
INTERFACE AND USER CONTROLS ETC
I personally found the camera interface very simple. You can customise the buttons a little which is good because there aren't that many. The NEX-5 isn't set up like a DSLR, it's very minimalist but I like that. Once you play with it you will find it very easy indeed. Haven't missed a shot yet because of it! It has a great idiot mode, a pretty smooth panoramic mode, and my personal fave- EXCELLENT black and white. I mean, it's REALLY good. I boost the contrast on my black and white images in camera and they just look beautiful. Remember how B&W hand prints used to look?
Battery life isn't great, I had to buy a spare. Can't have it dying in the middle of a shoot! The screen is partly to blame, it's highly detailed and really sharp but I think it's a battery hog. I also shoot in RAW which may possibly drain it quicker. Use RAW by the way. JPEGS are dire if you want to take really good pictures, and you can mess a shot up and rescue it in RAW later. Software for doing this comes with the camera too.
Autofocus is quick, but the manual focus works beautifully. Why bother with manual focus though? ahhh.... this brings me to...
VIDEO MODE.
Oh boy. it's SUPERB. No rolling shutter artefacts, smooth, hi-res, just magnificent. and you can manual focus during filming which is a must have for me. This is MORE than capable of replacing your video camera. With manual focus you can play around so much with your footage. So absolutely no problem with the video mode, it's the best camera video I have seen, and honestly better than most camcorder footage I've seen too!!
FLASH AND LOW LIGHT
The camera flash is quite weak. Not like my HUGE Nikon speedlights by any margin! But guess what? I haven't had to use it yet. I love ambient light. It's ALWAYS better than flash. The NEX-5 is excellent when using available light, and I've taken some truly beautiful shots with little more than streetlights. I took a shot of a power station at night- hand held believe it or not- and it's one of the best photo's I've ever taken... which brings me to...
WHY I LOVE THIS CAMERA
So it takes great photo's, superb quality video, it's got all the right features in my opinion, the lenses are workmanlike and as I've said fine for pro use so if you just want a good solid performer you will do fine.
BUT....
What I've written is half the story. There is something about this camera that just makes me want to go out and shoot things. Like I used to do when I started photography years ago. It's just FUN! It's fun to be able to smoothly manual focus between foreground and background when filming.... it's great to shoot in truly low light areas and yet get excellent results.... it's fun NOT to have a big DSLR that everyone notices during street and travel photography, and yet get the same kind of results....It's lovely to get a black and white mode that REALLY works well. I've started making movies on this thing too, I enjoy it so much, and the results are spot on. I guess this camera has struck a chord with me. It's helped me find more creativity and given me more satisfaction than any other camera I've owned. Just love it.
One last thing. If you researched this camera as much as I have you will have inevitably read this particularly vacuous comment- "It's a great camera.... but... it will never replace my precious DSLR". When manufacturers release new gear, especially if it's quite innovative, they will get real top notch pro's to go play with it. Just to show off their new baby. Go and look at what some of the big name pro's have been doing with this little machine. If you're considering this either as a back up for your DSLR or a replacement, you won't be disappointed. I bought it as a back up but it's totally replaced my big kit. The image quality for 90% OF THE TIME is indistinguishable from my big camera. But my DSLR lenses are only slightly superior optically cos they cost $900. And you can always get some of the Carl Zeiss or alpha G lenses for it in the long run if you want more flexibility in your shooting. But truthfully I don't feel the need to do this. I actually LIKE the kit lens.
I hope this has helped. Honestly though.... if you go for the Panasonic Lumix, or the Pen, or even a Nikon D90....They are all great cameras and I defy anyone to tell from a photo which camera took it- see what I'm saying? Remember a camera is only useful if it helps you create the vision that's in your head. My NEX has done that for me. It's a real helper. Thanks for reading to the end!!
Lastly, if you will buy the NEX-5 I suggest you have to check for best price before you decide at: www.amazon.com/exec/******/****/B003MPWBB6/cnet-offer-20
Updated on Oct 1, 2011
I suggest you have to check for best price before you decide at: www.ama zon.com/exec/******/****/B003MPWBB6/cnet-offer-2016 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
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BEST IN IT'S CLASS
by pingjun79 on July 23, 2010
Pros: compact design that delivers excellent picture quality and HD videos. it also has a lot of extra features that would enhance your photography experience. the camera's body is made of good quality material and is very light.
Cons: none so far with the camera, i was a little bit disappointed with the availability of the accessories. i was trying to purchase the protective casing from SONYSTYLE (USA) but it's still not available in North America.
Summary: i would recommend this to everyone looking for a compact camera that could compete with standard D-SLR cameras.
Summary: i would recommend this to everyone looking for a compact camera that could compete with standard D-SLR cameras.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I really like this new toy
by xguanx on June 30, 2010
Pros: 1. stylish, portable design
2. good quality pics (acceptable for me)
3. exchangable lens leave me more flexibility to explore more (if have time)Cons: im not professional and still exploring her features
1. that would better if the len (18-55) can be slimmer
2. v hard to use manual focus
3. flash is so weak (basically useless)
4. --- major complaint: no touchscreen, im used to shooting with DCsSummary: what I need is portable DC with high quality. i am also interested in DSRL but it is so heavy to carry for me as a very beginner (i need ...
Summary: what I need is portable DC with high quality. i am also interested in DSRL but it is so heavy to carry for me as a very beginner (i need time to explore before digging out more interest). So NEX-5 seems to meet the needs. the biggest disappointment for me is no touch screen.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Mostly happy with camera.
by cdhanks on August 2, 2010
Pros: Great LCD - love the panorama mode, and the low light mode.
Cons: The menus take a while to learn to navigate. The body is almost to small for large hands. No body cap aand no rear lens cap with the 18-55mm lens kit. Apparently both come with the 2 lens kit, but not listed at Sony.
Summary: To the comment about the lens hood, one comes with the 18-55mm lens and it works fine with the 16mm lens.
Summary: To the comment about the lens hood, one comes with the 18-55mm lens and it works fine with the 16mm lens.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Still Glad I got it.
by Skimousn on July 23, 2010
Pros: Low light photography is amazing. Small and compact. Fast shutter release. Excellent close ups.
Cons: Hard to view screen to compose picture with harsh sun light shinning on the screen. One time a EVF would be great. Sun Hood?
Summary: Overall I've been looking for camera to replace my Sony DSC-V1. I want more control than most point and shot cameras? but did not want to carry the camera ...
Summary: Overall I've been looking for camera to replace my Sony DSC-V1. I want more control than most point and shot cameras? but did not want to carry the camera bag I had to carry with my old conventioal SLR. I always enjoyed the Pentax and Olympus units as they were light weight compact and the controls were easy to work while composing the picture. I find these same attributes in the Sony aNEX-5
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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amazing camera overall
by asteris78 on May 21, 2012
Pros: IMAGE QUALITY, FEAUTERS ,STYLE,HIGH ISO, EXTRA DIGITAL CLEAR ZOOM 10X,function of smooth skin,quick startup and good price
Cons: BATTERY , STEADY SHOT ONLY INLENS,BUILT IN FLASH
Summary: an excellent camera but you need extra battery
Summary: an excellent camera but you need extra battery
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Smartest camera of the era.
by mahaacharya on April 10, 2012
Pros: Easy to operate. Precise. high quality stills and videos. perfect audio. memory sticks are the best way of storage.
Cons: Heats up on long video usage. many features are not active. Battery life is low (needs a spare). Lack of available accessories.
Summary: Best for a professional and easy for an amateur. Can take excellent videos with a professional touch at throw away cost.
Summary: Best for a professional and easy for an amateur. Can take excellent videos with a professional touch at throw away cost.
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very good camera - small with great picture quality
by frichards on September 27, 2011
Pros: size, image quality and build. Pictures are indistinguishable from DSLR (Nikon DX). On a long hiking trip this past summer (where small camera=good camera) I couldn't have been more pleased. I played around with some of the low light and "color enha
Cons: The lack of a through the lens view-finder is the camera's biggest drawback for me (when comparing it to a DLSR). In very bright light images on the lcd are tough to see... but I knew that going in. The new Nex-5N may solve that - annoyingly the LCD v
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A great hybrid for anyone moving from digital to slr!
by vinodmenon on June 14, 2011
Pros: This is the 5th day and i took some serious photographs. Photos are great and as expected.
Cons: Need more choice of lenses, non-availability of 18-200 and adaptors in middle-east market. Thats all.
Summary: I like the product because it is very handy, sits quietly in my backpack. 18-55 is good for almost all occasions unless you go out to the jungle for some ...
Summary: I like the product because it is very handy, sits quietly in my backpack. 18-55 is good for almost all occasions unless you go out to the jungle for some serious photography. Overall, I am quite satisfied after using Sony H7 for almost 3 years. Just waiting for 18-200 lens to be available in ME markets. Some shops do have, but charging exorbitant rates.
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Best hybrid camera out there
by c10_j2 on June 8, 2011
Pros: 1. Twilight Handheld mode - takes 5 photos and combines it to one for an absolute still image.
2. Shutter speed - Takes 7 pics/sec and also has bulb mode.
3. Excellent build - Feels like a top quality build.
4. Panorama photos are so cool to take.Cons: 1. Video rec keeps auto-focusing continuously which can be irritating feature.
2. Menu is bit confusing even after months of use.
3. Macro is not so good - doesn't focus objects less than 15cm away.Summary: I have this camera for last 6 months and loving it. Has so many features to explore. Its very handy and takes almost mid-range SLR quality photos.
This camera can ...Summary: I have this camera for last 6 months and loving it. Has so many features to explore. Its very handy and takes almost mid-range SLR quality photos.
This camera can be for people - who prefer taking photos from LCD screen and can do without the viewfinder. - for people moving from point and shoot camera to SLR but don't want to drag the bulk. In short for people who want best quality pictures without the PHD in photography.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: CNETSonyAlphaNEX-5blackwith18-55mmlens
- Description: The performance of a DSLR, in about half the size and weight. The NEX-5 is the interchangeable lens camera that goes wherever you do. Enjoy Full HD 1080/60i movies, astounding low-light pictures, continuous shooting up to 7 fps, incredible panorama shots, and Live View on a tilting 3.0-inch LCD.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Digital camera - Mirrorless system
- Enclosure Color Black
- Resolution 14.2 megapixels
- Optical Sensor Type Exmor APS HD CMOS
- Total Pixels 14,600,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 14,200,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 15.6 x 23.4mm
- Field of View Crop Factor 1.5
- Sensor Dust Reduction Yes
- Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration),
Anti-Dust coating - Image Processor BIONZ
- Image Stabilizer Optical (Steady Shot)
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 25
- Digital Video Format MPEG-4,
AVCHD - Image Recording Format JPEG,
RAW,
RAW + JPEG - Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080
- AV Interfaces HDMI
Exposure & White Balance
- Light Sensitivity ISO 200-12800,
ISO auto (200-1600) - Exposure Metering Multi-segment,
Center-weighted,
Spot - Exposure Metering Zones 49
- Exposure Modes Program,
Bulb,
Automatic,
Shutter-priority,
Manual,
Aperture-priority - Shooting Programs Sports mode,
Sunset,
Night portrait,
Handheld twilight,
Night view,
Macro,
Portrait mode,
Landscape - Special Effects Portrait,
Landscape,
Vivid,
Black & White,
Neutral,
Sunset - White Balance Automatic,
Presets,
Custom - White Balance Presets Daylight,
Shade,
Fluorescent,
Incandescent,
Cloudy,
Flash - Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 30 sec
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/3 or 2/3 EV steps
- X-sync Speed 1/160 sec
- Exposure Range EV 0-20 ( ISO 100 )
Lens System
- Type 3 x x Zoom lens - 18 mm - 55 mm - F/3.5-5.6
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 27 - 82.5 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual,
Automatic - Min Focus Range 9.8 in
- Zoom Adjustment Manual
- Lens Construction 9 groups / 11 elements
- Filter Size 49 mm
- Lens System Mounting Sony E-mount
- Features Aspherical lens
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Detachable flash
- Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 7
- Flash Modes Rear curtain sync,
Fill-in mode,
Slow synchro,
Auto mode,
Flash OFF mode,
Red-eye reduction - Features Wireless off-camera control,
Flash +/- compensation,
AF illuminator - External Flash Name Sony HVL-F7S
Additional Features
- Continuous Shooting Speed 7 frames per second,
2.3 frames per second - Self Timer Delay 2 sec,
10 sec - Flash Terminal Hot shoe
- Additional Features Display brightness control,
1080i Full HD movie recording,
Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN),
PRINT Image Matching,
Saturation control,
Smile Detection technology,
Date/time stamp,
Exif Print support,
AF lock,
DPOF support,
Sweep Panorama technology,
Accessories hot shoe,
Face detection,
RGB primary color filter,
Built-in speaker,
Auto HDR mode,
AE lock,
Digital noise reduction,
Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording,
Histogram display,
Automatic display brightness adjustment,
Dynamic Range Optimizer,
Highlight point display,
LCD live view mode,
Shadow point display,
Built-in help guide,
Sharpness control,
Contrast control,
USB 2.0 compatibility Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type 3 in LCD display
- Display Features Folding
Microphone
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB,
1 x HDMI output
Software
- Software Sony Image Data Lightbox SR,
Drivers & Utilities,
Sony Image Data Converter SR,
Sony Picture Motion Browser System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support Apple Mac OS X 10.1.3 or later,
MS Windows 2000 Professional,
MS Windows XP SP2,
MS Windows Vista - Peripheral Devices USB port,
CD-ROM drive Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Battery charger,
USB cable,
Lens cap,
Shoulder strap,
Dust cap,
Body cap,
Flash carrying case - Body Material Magnesium alloy
Battery
- Supported Battery Sony NP-FW50
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1080 mAh ( Included )
Memory / Storage
- Memory Card Slot SD card,
Memory Stick Duo card - Supported Memory Cards SDHC Memory Card,
Memory Stick Duo,
SD Memory Card,
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo,
SDXC Memory Card,
Memory Stick PRO Duo,
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX - Image Storage 4592 x 3056,
4592 x 2576,
3344 x 2224,
3344 x 1872,
2288 x 1520,
2288 x 1280 - Video Capture AVCHD - 1920 x 1080,
MPEG-4 - 1440 x 1080,
MPEG-4 - 640 x 480 Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 4.4 in
- Depth 1.5 in
- Height 2.3 in
- Weight 8.1 oz
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Main Features
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom. This camera utilizes built-in Super SteadyShot stabilization to assist in taking sharper pictures.
Product series
-
Sony Alpha NEX-5 (with 18-55mm lens, Silver)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: 14.2 megapixels,
3 x,
27 - 82.5mm F/3.5,
15.6 x 23.4mm,
Exmor APS HD CMOS,
Optical (Steady Shot) -
Sony Alpha NEX-5 (with 18-55mm lens, Black)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: 14.2 megapixels,
3 x,
27 - 82.5mm F/3.5,
15.6 x 23.4mm,
Exmor APS HD CMOS,
Optical (Steady Shot) -
Sony Alpha NEX-5 (with 16mm lens, Silver)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: 14.2 megapixels,
24mm F/2.8,
15.6 x 23.4mm,
Exmor CMOS -
Sony Alpha NEX-5 (with 16mm lens, Black)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: 14.2 megapixels,
24mm F/2.8,
15.6 x 23.4mm,
Exmor APS HD CMOS
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
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