Sony Alpha NEX-5

Lens & Sensor

The 16mm fixed focal length lens and 18-55mm zoom are included in the two kit configurations, and are the only lenses available at launch. An 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 will ship later this year — so far, that’s all she wrote.

Zoom Ratio Examples
18.0 mm	36.0 mm	55.0 mm

The NEX-5 is the second mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera to arrive with a standard APS-C format sensor (the Samsung NX10 was the first). These designs contrast with the mirrorless Micro Four Thirds system cameras, which use a sensor roughly 30% smaller for the sake of compact design. The problem with this sensor shrinkage is increased noise: both the NEX-5 and the NX10 produced images with far lower image noise than the multiple Micro Four Thirds cameras we’ve tested (including the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GF1 used for comparison purposes in this review).

Viewfinder (0.00)

If you think the option to shoot with the camera held up to your eye is important, this is not your camera. Not only is there no built-in viewfinder, there’s no accessory electronic viewfinder available; your only option is a $200 fixed-focus optical viewfinder accessory, which isn’t much better than no options at all. This contrasts with the Samsung NX10, which comes with a built-in electronic viewfinder (though not a very good one), and the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic GF1, which have connectors for optional EVFs (though these are $200+ add-ons).

Display(s) (8.61)

The NEX-5 has one of the most beautiful LCD displays we’ve ever seen on a digital camera, a 3-inch wide-screen display with 921,600-pixel resolution. The company says it adopted a technology called ‘TruBlack,’ first employed in its digital picture frames, to increase contrast and make colors pop. Based on what we’re seeing here, we hope this type of screen becomes a standard feature in Sony’s line.

The widescreen orientation is particularly geared toward high-def movie playback, in 16:9 format. Standard still images don’t fill the screen; the left side is used instead to display labels for the three multipurpose control buttons and the control wheel, both in shooting and playback mode.

The LCD is articulated in an unusual way, with a hinge along the top edge that lets you pull the screen away from the camera body, then pivot it down for shooting with the camera held overhead, or up for low-angle shooting. We find it more useful when an LCD is hinged along the edge, so it can be folded out to the side of and flipped forward for self-portraits. Still, the NEX-5 system is much better than nothing, particularly when trying to see over a crowd.

LCD brightness is adjusted automatically by default, but there are also two user overrides. You can adjust the brightness up or down by two steps in each direction, or choose Sunny Weather to max out the brightness for outdoor shooting. We still feel that the lack of an eye-level viewfinder is a substantial negative when considering the NEX-5. We have to give Sony credit, though: even standing outdoors in bright sun at noon, we were still able to line up a shot on the LCD, in situations where lesser screens would be all but worthless.

Secondary Display

High-end SLRs often have a second monochrome LCD on top, for reading camera settings from above. The NEX-5 doesn’t have this feature.

Flash (5.50)

There’s no built-in flash here, but at least Sony includes a small accessory HVL-F7S flash unit with the camera. The flash is only 1 7/16 × 15/16 × 1 11/16 inches (35.9 × 23.8 × 42.7mm) and weighs about 0.8 oz. (20.4g) — truly pocket-size even if you favor tight jeans, and complete with a protective case. In practice, though, you may decide that the smart move is simply to attach the flash and leave it in place. Rather than a standard hot shoe, the flash is screwed into a proprietary accessory connector located under a protective flap on top of the camera. It doesn’t require extraordinary manual dexterity, but at the same time it’s not an operation you’ll want to undertake on the spur of the moment, when you’re about to miss a shot for lack of light. The flash folds down flat on top of the camera, adding only about half an inch to the height of the camera. It won’t shoot in the position, though; you have to raise it up, as shown in the photo below. And no, despite the fact that the strobe is on a pivoting bracket, you can’t use it as a bounce flash, since it snaps into a single predetermined spot, facing forward,

Not that you’d get much bang for your buck if you could bounce this little flash. Sony gives the flash range as 3.3 to 8.2 feet (1 to 2.5m) with an f/2.8 aperture setting, at ISO 200. In practice, it does a reasonable job in dimly lit indoor environments, with less of a central hot spot than we expected. As an outdoor fill flash, it’s not going to provide a lot of help, though.

The flash can be set to auto, fill flash (fires with every shot), slow sync (flashes to catch foreground subject in dark setting, with a slow shutter speed to capture the dark background) and rear sync (fires just as the shutter is closing, creating a trailing light image for moving subjects). Red-eye reduction is also available as a separate setting.

Flash exposure compensation is available in a ±2 EV range, in 0.3 EV increments.

Connectivity (5.50)

There are two separate compartments on the left side of the camera, one for an industry-standard USB data cable (included), the other for a mini HDMI jack (not included). As with the Sony A550, the camera cannot output standard-def video at all. It’s not just that the cable isn’t included: it isn’t available. Apparently high-def TV manufacturer Sony has decided that pandering to the needs of the lower-res rabble isn’t important. We beg to differ, and consider this a significant oversight.

On the other hand, when connected via HDMI to an HDTV that supports Sony Bravia Sync, you can use the TV remote to control photo and movie playback.

The USB (top) and mini HDMI (bottom) ports	The flash and microphone expansion port

There is also an expansion port on top of the camera, used to connect the included flash unit or the optional external stereo mic ($130).

Battery (5.00)

According to Sony, you should get about 330 shots per battery charge, but that seems generous based on our shooting experience. At least you’ll have a precise read on the remaining power level as you shoot; the LCD display includes a power percentage readout, in addition to the familiar disappearing icon. Sony estimates it will take about three hours to recharge a fully depleted battery.

Memory (5.50)

The Sony NEX-5 accepts all three flavors of SD card, including the new high-capacity SDXC format, along with the company’s proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo and Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo media.