Sony Alpha NEX-5R Digital Camera Review

Motion

Like many Sony cameras, the NEX-5R captures gorgeous video. We awarded maximum points for overall smoothness, and could not detect any object trailing in our test footage at all. A little bit of compression artifacting, along with an even smaller amount of frequency interference could be noticeable, though only by the most discerning of viewers. More on how CamcorderInfo tests motion.

Video Sharpness

Under full studio illumination, and while using the kit lens, the 5R's sensor was able to resolve 600 lw/ph horizontally and 650 vertically for video content. Sony is usually fairly dominant in this test, however the 5R does lag behind older models like the NEX-5N and the NEX-7. More on how CamcorderInfo tests video sharpness.

Video sharpness dropped ever so slightly when we dropped ambient illumination down to 60 lux. Here the sensor picks up 575 lw/ph horizontally and 625 vertically.

Low Light Sensitivity

The NEX-5R requires only 12 lux of ambient illumination to gather 50 IRE of image data, an impressive figure for any camera. The NEX series is known for low light performance, so we have to imagine this number would've been better if the kit lens could open wider than F3.5.