Sony NEX-5 review

We review the Sony NEX-5. The little camera with the big ambitions

When it comes to digital SLRs, Canon, Nikon and more recently, Sony, have the market pretty much sewn up. Carving out a niche for themselves, Olympus, Panasonic and Samsung have successfully created a new breed of camera with the creativity and control of a DSLR, but the slimline build and simplicity of a compact. And now Sony has joined the party.

The NEX-5 and NEX-3 cameras were announced earlier this year, and with Sony’s heritage in areas including TVs, audio products, and more recently 3D technology, hopes were high that this new system would be the best ‘hybrid’ yet.

Out of the box and the Sony NEX-5 certainly delivers on being compact. The sturdy metallic body is no wider than a pro compact, but offers a well-sized grip for the right hand. Attach the standard lens, an 18-55mm equiv, and the camera increases in size and weight considerably. Only with the 16mm pancake lens does this camera feel really balanced, but most users will want the option of a more flexible zoom attached, especially the step-up user that Sony is targeting with this body.

Round the back, the 3” LCD dominates. Hinged at the top, the screen can be flipped out so that viewing from high or low angles is made more comfortable, although it’s not as manoeuvrable as some screens we’ve seen. Next to the LCD there are sparse buttons and a rotational dial that acts like a traditional d-pad when in use.

On top of the camera comes the first sign of a real departure from its micro rivals with a connection port hidden under a rubber hinged door to allow users to attach a flash or viewfinder, instead of a hotshoe. There’s also a direct movie button, playback, shutter release and on/off switch.

Switch the Sony NEX-5 on and the menu is one of the most simplistic we’ve ever seen. There are six illustrated icons including Camera, Playback, Image Size, Brightness/Color, Setup and Shoot mode. While these look clear and are well labelled, the lack of buttons on the back of the camera mean you’ll be delving into these quite a lot, and this can get a little frustrating.

Shooting modes are many and include all the standard manual (P, A, S and M) and auto options (iAuto, scene) as well as a few more creative ones like Sweep Panorama, movie and, at the time of reviewing Sony had just announced the firmware update to introduce 3D Sweep Panorama to the camera as well as improve the normal 2D panos, battery drain whilst off and quicker start-up in low-light conditions. Head to ‘Version’ in your Setup menu and only those with version 01 will need the update.

Using all the modes seems straightforward and familiar at first, although a major downside is revealed as soon as you want to alter the ISO, which is not possible without delving into the menu system, even in manual mode. With Sony’s heritage in cameras, these handling faux pas seem to be bewildering, rookie mistakes.

Out in the field, the strength of this style of camera is obvious, they’re light to carry, discreet to shoot with and your can have as much, or as little control of the photos you create as you wish. The NEX-5 is a little on the noisy side, so candid shooters beware. A discreet shot of a cricket match drew unwanted attention, and when switched to Sweep Panorama mode, the camera clicked away noisily for a good few seconds.

The results however, can’t be faulted. The NEX captured the vista and stitched it together with ease. There was very little processing time before the image could be viewed, and the playback featured scans right along the length of the image, allowing you to see it in more detail.

Battery life seems to be on the low side, with the CIPA standard quoting over 400 with live view, in reality we got far less, although this was with a lot of chimping throughout the day. Battery drain whilst the camera is off is the most likely cause of this shortcoming, and whilst this has been addressed with the aforementioned firmware update, it is still not perfect.

The images shot by the Sony were impressive, both in terms of details captured, noise handling and colour rendition. Reds were strongly presented, but this gives the images a punchy and pleasing finish, with most other colours seeming to present quite naturally. The level of detail both indoors and out was good, with pixel information retained even when zooming in on small areas.

Photos with high levels of contrast didn’t prove too much problem for the Sony either, with shadow areas retaining a decent amount of information, whilst still exposing correctly for highlight areas, and all whilst of Auto mode. Switch to Manual and you can select your point of metering, change white balance, up the ISO and even focus to create an even better result.

With the NEX-5, Sony has targeted not those with a DSLR looking for a second camera, but ‘step-up’ users, who want more control than their compacts allow, but in a less formidable body than a DSLR. Whilst features like the in-built guide mode are perfect for this audience, with a small description of each feature flashed on screen as it is selected, the handling and general ease of use may leave newcomers stranded on automatic.

Priced at £549 for the lens kit, the Sony NEX-5 is not expensive considering the features on offer, the creativity that interchangeable lenses allows, and the image quality produced. However, the handling issues found will seriously deter photographers who are still learning their trade, and we hope that Sony address this in the next generation of NEX cameras. With a few tweaks the system truly could be brilliant, but the Sony NEX-5 just misses its mark at the moment.