REVIEW: Sony Alpha NEX 5N

The idea of an APS-C sized sensor in a compact, mirrorless camera, is an exciting prospect for nature photography. The idea of not having to lug around heavy equipment, when hiking in the field, gives me goosebumps. I purchased the NEX-5N as a compact backup camera (like most photographers will do) with the intention of testing out the possibility of this system becoming my primary landscape camera.

Below is my personal review of the Sony Alpha NEX-5N and its features, as it pertains to my outdoor photography.

Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Specifications
- Features
- Performance and Controls 
- Accessories and Lenses
- Camera Images
- Sample Photos 
- Pros
- Cons
- Conclusion

Introduction:

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N is a mirror-less interchangeable lens camera system. Featuring a 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, 49-segment exposure meter, 25-point contrast-detect autofocus system, a 3-inch tilting LCD touchscreen with 921,000-dot resolution and an enormous ISO range of 100-25600. The magnesium bodied NEX-5N can capture images at 10fps at full resolution and shoot Full HD 1920 x1080p video as high-quality AVCHD files. The camera system accepts E-mount lenses, but can also use regular Sony Alpha lenses via the new LA-EA2 adapter.

(Seen below with the 18-55mm telephoto and 16mm wide-angle)

• Touch-screen display
• Electronic First Curtain shutter
• 16.1MP CMOS sensor
• ISO 100-25600
• 10fps continuous shooting mode (at full resolution)
• In-camera CA, vignetting and distortion correction
• Creative Control results-orientated user interface
• Picture Effects processing options
• 1080p 60p HD movies in AVCHD format

Full Specifications:

Here’s a list of the technical specs. You can skip to the next section if you’re not interested in reading.

Price (with 18-55mm zoom lens)	• US: $ 699 • UK: £ 599 • EU: € 699
Body material	• Magnesium-alloy top and front • Plastic back and battery casing
Sensor	• 23.4 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor • 16.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	3:2 • L: 4912 x 3264 (16M) • M: 3568 x 2368 (8.4M) • S: 2448 x 1624 (4M) 16:9 • L: 4912 x 2760 (14M) • M: 3568 x 2000 (7.1M) • S: 2448 x 1376 (3.4M)
Image sizes (Panorama)	Sweep Panorama • Wide Horz: 12416 x 1856 (23M) • Wide Vert: 2160 x 5536 (12M) • Standard Horz: 8192 x 1856 (15M) • Standard Vert: 2160 x 3872 (8.4M) 3D Sweep Panorama • Wide: 7152 x 1080 (7.7M) • Standard: 4192 x 1080 (5.3M) • 16×9: 1920 x 1080 (2.1M)
File qualities / formats	• RAW (Sony .ARW 2.2) • RAW + JPEG Fine • JPEG Fine • JPEG Standard
Movie	AVCHD • 1080 60i/p up to 28mbps • 1080 24i/p up to 24mbps MPEG-4 • 1440 x 1080 29.97fps 12mbps • 640 x 480 29.97fps
Dust reduction	• Coating on low pass filter • Sensor-shift
Lenses	• Sony E-mount • Sony Alpha lenses, Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lenses via adaptor (MF only, exclude power zoom lenses/tele-converters)
Image Stabilization	‘Optical SteadyShot’ system on selected lenses
Auto Focus	• Contrast AF • 25 multi-point • Centre-weighted • Flexible Spot
Shooting modes	• iAuto • Scene Selection • Anti Motion Blur • Sweep Panorama • 3D Sweep Panorama • Manual Exposure • Shutter Priority • Aperture Priority • Program Auto
Scene modes	• Portrait • Landscape • Macro • Sports Action • Sunset • Night Portrait • Night Scene • Hand-held Twilight
Sensitivity	• Auto (Range varies depending on shooting mode) • ISO 100 * • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200 • ISO 6400 • ISO 12800 • ISO 25600 *
Metering modes	• Multi-segment (49 segment Honeycomb pattern) • Center-weighted • Flexible Spot
Exposure compen.	• -2.0 to +2.0 EV • 0.3 EV steps
Shutter Speed	• Electronically controlled, vertical traverse, focal-plane shutter • 30 to 1/4000 sec • Bulb
Aperture values	Depends on lens, 0.3 EV steps
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Shade • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent (Warm, Cool, Day, Daylight) • Flash • Color temperature/filter (2500 – 9900 K) • Manual (Custom) • Manual (Custom set)
Dynamic range optimizer	• Off • DR0 (Auto, LV1 – LV5) • HDR (Auto, 1EV – 6EV)
Color space	• sRGB • Adobe RGB
Creative Styles	• Standard • Vivid • Portrait • Landscape • Sunset • B&W
Picture Effect*	• Toy Camera Normal Cool Warm Green Magenta • Pop Color  Color  B&W • Posterization • Retro • Soft High-key • Partial Color Red Green Blue Yellow • High Contrast Mono • Soft Focus Mid Low Hi • HDR Painting Mid Low Hi • Rich-tone Mono. • Miniature Auto Top Middle (Horizontal) Bottom Right Middle (Vertical) Left
LCD monitor	• 3.0 XtraFine touch-sensitive* TruBlack LCD • 921,600 dots • Angle adjustable 80 degrees up/45 degrees down
Flash	• External flash (supplied), attachable to Smart Accessory Terminal • GN : 7 meters • Flash Sync: 1/160sec
Flash modes	• Auto • On • Off • Fill-flash • Slow Sync • Rear Sync. • Red-eye reduction on/off selectable
Drive modes	• Single-frame • Continuous • Speed Priority • 10 sec 3 or 5 images • Bracket Cont 0.3 EV • Self Timer
Continuous shooting	• Continuous Shooting • Speed Priority Continuous (~10fps)
Self-timer	• 10 or 2 seconds
Connectivity	• HDMI out (with PhotoTV HD and BRAVIA Sync) • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Storage	• Memory Stick Pro Duo • SD/SDHC/SDXC
Power	• NP-FH50 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (supplied) • Battery charger included • Optional AC adapter
Battery Life (CIPA)	~430 images
Dimensions	110.8 x 62.2 x 38.2 mm (4 3/8 x 2 3/8 x 1 9/16 in.)
Weight (with batt and card)	269 g (9.5 oz.)
Supplied accessories	Shoulder strap; Battery; Charger; USB cable (miniB); CD‑ROM; Flash

Features:

The NEX-5N offers a few features that you would find on most professional photographers’ lists of must-haves.

Electronic Shutter:
When I hear “Electronic Shutter”, I think of a completely silent capture… that is, until I bought the NEX-5N. This camera gives you the option to turn on electronic front curtain shutter. This effectively gives you a slightly faster capture rate, and eliminates one of the two small clicks that you hear when taking a photo. This camera is not silent, however it is certainly quieter than most DSLRs.

Bracketing:
The NEX-5N offers a bracketing setting, under the “Drive Mode” option. Your options for brackets are limited, however. You may only choose between .3 EV and .7 EV, and the camera will take 3 bracketed images with no way to change that number.  By contrast, the D300s gives you the option of 3, 5, 7, and 9 images, as well as a range of EVs up to 1.0.

Panorama Sweep:
The NEX-5N comes equipped with a panorama mode. This option works by automatically taking a series of images as you pan the camera in one direction or the other. You are given the option to pan left or right and up or down. Taking a panorama capture with this camera is not the same as some other point-and-shoots. Because of the non-silent shutter, when panning you will hear a series of rapid shutter clicks. As near as I can tell, the panorama quality is quite good (as long as nothing is moving in your shot). I don’t think I would use it for anything professional, though.

Auto HDR:
A feature that falls under Nice to Have is an “Auto HDR” option. You will find it under the D-Range settings. The camera gives you the option of 1.0 EV up to 6.0 EV, automatically taking 3 shots and blending them in-camera. I have not tested the true quality of these rendered HDR images, but it could promise to be a useful feature if the quality is right.

Performance and Controls:

 ISO/Noise:
As was rumored, this camera has some amazing low-light capabilities. The noise levels are extremely low up to 6400 ISO.

Autofocus:
The contrast-detect autofocus leaves much to be desired. There is a very noticeable lag in focus lock, especially in lower light situations. Because of this, the current outdoor uses of this system will be limited to landscapes and portraiture. They will have to make some changes before the autofocus system is a valid tool for wildlife photography.

The “peaking” feature of the focus system makes manual focusing much easier, highlighting the in-focus areas with a color of your choice.

White Balance:
Controlling white balance on the NEX-5N is a bit different than normal, and I like it. A small color spectrum grid is shown on the screen, and you can directly place your WB anywhere on the grid.

Controls:
The NEX-5N allows 4 programmable buttons. Three dedicated, and one opening a menu consisting of 5 customizable menu choices. Coming from a camera such as the D300, or higher, this will leave something to be desired for quick controls. From what I hear, the new NEX-7 will have more customizable options, so we’ll see where it goes.

Accessories and Lenses:

Lenses:
Perhaps the biggest limiting factor for some photographers will be the selection of current lenses. At the time of this publication, the only E-mount lenses available for the NEX-5N are as follows:
- 18-55 f3.5-5.6 OSS Zoom
- 16mm f2.8 Wide-angle
- 55-210 f4.5-6.3 Zoom 
- 30mm f3.5 Macro
- 50mm f1.8 Telephoto
- 18-200 f3.5-6.3 OSS Zoom
As well as two wide-angle conversion lenses, that attach to the 16mm:
- High Definition Wide-angle Conversion Lens 
- Fisheye Conversion Lens 

The camera also has the option to accept other Sony Alpha lenses, via the LA-EA2 lens adapter. However, this seems to negate the benefits of the camera system in the first place.

Video Mic:
Sony has available a compact stereo microphone attachment, that reportedly increases the audio quality, significantly. It attaches via the very precarious, and brand specific, “Smart Accessory Terminal”. The same port that the flash attaches to, meaning that you can’t use the two at the same time. I don’t see any reason you’d need the flash during video capture, anyway.

Flash:
The camera comes equipped with a small, removable, flip-down flash that attaches to the “Smart Accessory Terminal”. It’s useful, but very similar to your other point-and-shoot flashes. You may also purchase an upgraded, larger HVLF20S Flash.

Camera Images:

Sample Photos:

Some sample images from the Sony Alpha NEX-5N, using the 16mm f2.8 wide-angle lens and the kit 18-55 f3.5-5.6 OSS telephoto lens. These images are largely un-edited, save for some sharpening.

Pros:

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N is a camera that packs fantastic image quality into a pint-sized package. At the very least, it is a must have as a portable alternative when you can’t lug your hefty gear with you. The low-light capabilities are fantastic. Panorama sweep is nice to have, as is the auto HDR. The camera is not pant pocketable with lens attached, but will certainly fit in a jacket pocket or small pouch.

Cons:

Sony has some work to do with some of the professional oriented settings, such as bracketing. As it stands, the bracketing levels are not enough for tough contrast scenes. The autofocus is a long way from wildlife photography, and proves challenging for low-light landscapes. The lens selection is bunk, but with a camera system this good (and a better one on the way) they are sure to start spitting out new lenses, soon.

Conclusion:

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N is a fantastic piece of engineering. It will most certainly be in my camera bag. The biggest use I have for it right now is as a landscape ready device, while out with my Sigm 150-500mm for wildlife, allowing me to avoid carrying extra lenses or a second DSLR.

I see no reason why this camera cannot play a primary role in my landscape photography. As it stands, I do not use professional grade lenses, anyway. With the sensor quality, 16.1 mp, and the 16mm wide-angle lens, this system is a powerful landscape photography tool.

This has been a review of my personal opinions and experiences with this camera. I do not have detailed specs on image quality and other numbers. For those, I would highly suggest you check out the NEX-5N review on dpreview.

Update: Check out this review of the NEX -7 on PopPhoto.com.

Thanks for reading,

Nick