Sony Alpha NEX-5

Recording Options (9.00)

The Sony NEX-5 has three quality settings for recording video. It’s Full HD 1920 × 1080 option is the only one on the camera that uses the AVCHD compression system (the same compression used on Sony’s HD consumer camcorders). The other two options, one of which records HD video at a 1440 × 1080 resolution, utilize the MP4 codec for compressing video. The AVCHD Full HD option records video using a 60i frame rate, while the other two record modes capture video at 30p. Find out how the NEX-5 performed in our video image quality test.

Format	Resolution	Codec	Bitrate	Frame Rate
HD	1920 x 1080	AVCHD	17 Mbps	60i
HD	1440 x 1080	MP4	12 Mbps	30p
VGA	640 x 480	MP4	3 Mbps	30p

Video Controls (4.00)

Auto Controls

When recording video, the Sony NEX-5 functions with entirely automated controls, albeit with a few exceptions. You can adjust exposure and white balance manually, and you can also set some color modes (called Creative Style in the menu).

The autofocus on the NEX-5 is probably the best we’ve ever seen from a video-capable DSLR. It works fairly quickly, it functions during recording—without the need to press any kind of button—and it is the quietest system we’ve seen on a DSLR. Basically, the autofocus works similarly to what you’d see on a consumer camcorder. Since many video-DSLRs don’t even have a live autofocus system in video mode, this is a pleasant surprise that definitely gives something to make the NEX-5 stand out amongst the crowd.

Zoom

Optical zoom is controlled on the NEX-5 using the large lens ring on the camera. The amount of zoom available depends on what lens you have mounted, but the kit lens we used in our testing is an 18mm – 55mm lens, which translates to a roughly 3x optical zoom.

Focus

As we mentioned before, the NEX-5’s autofocus system works very well. You can also adjust focus manually using the lens ring during or prior to recording. This system works well if you’re trying to play around with depth of field or do any kind of focus trickery, but for regular shooting the autofocus should handle things adequately.

Exposure Controls

Exposure is the only manual control that can be set in video mode on the NEX-5. You can set it during recording or prior to recording, and you do so using the small dial on the back of the camera.

Shutter speed and aperture can be set on the camera, but once you begin recording video the NEX-5 reverts to automatic control. We wish the camera would make this fact more obvious because many users may think they are setting shutter speed or aperture for their videos, but in reality they are doing nothing.

Other Controls

There is no ISO control in video mode on the camera, but there are some color modes (called Creative Style) that can be used for video recording. Examples of these color modes are shown in the Video: Color section of this review. The camera’s full range of white balance controls and image stabilization settings can also be applied for video recording.

Audio Features (1.00)

The built-in microphone on the Sony NEX-5 records stereo audio, which is signified by the two small slits on the top of the camera labeled with an ‘L’ and an ‘R’ (for left and right audio channels). As with most DSLRs that record audio, the NEX-5’s built-in mic picks up plenty of extraneous operational noise, although the camera is quieter than most DSLRs. The placement of the microphone on the top of the camera is mostly out of the way from wandering fingers, but you may accidentally rub the microphone depending on the way you like to grip the NEX-5.

The camera doesn’t have any audio features other than an option to turn sound recording on or off. There’s no audio inputs on the NEX-5 either. See the table below for full audio feature details.