Review
High ISO and Low Light Performance:
The High ISO and low light performance of the Sony Nex-5n is excellent all around. Barely any noise all the way to ISO 1600, beyond that it’s “usable” up to 12800 and possibly even 25,600!!
As you would expect the focus does struggle a bit in the low light environment, but still works very good and almost always finds something to lock onto. I only had to switch to manual focus a few times when in manual mode painting with a flash light 
I did find it helpful to change the the focus point a few times however in a few situations, to help it find something easier. When using Auto ISO please note that you only have ISO 100-320o. To go beyond that you will need to take it off auto and/or use one of the scene modes like Hand-held Twilight mode. More on that in the advanced features section.
Be sure to Click the images for a nice large 1000px version!!
Nex-5n High ISO Sample – ISO 25600 |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample – ISO 25600 |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample – ISO 25600, Raw |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample – ISO 25600, 100% Crop |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample – ISO 25600 |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample Pic – ISO 25600 – 100% Crop |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample Pic – ISO 12800 |
Nex-5n High ISO Sample – ISO 12800 – 100% Crop |
Other Features worth mentioning:
Hand-held Twilight mode & Anti-Motion Blur mode: In these “Auto” modes the Sony Nex-5n captures six images in a fraction of a second. The camera then combines the data from the 6 different images to create a single image which intern gets you cleaner, sharper pictures. This feature definitely works, but worth noting is it seems use ISO 6400 only, or at least as the maximum ISO, so in certain situations where the shutter speed is still to slow, you may need to use a higher ISO such as ISO 12800, or ISO 25800.
Be sure to Click the images for a nice large 1000px version!!
Sony Nex-5n w/ 55-210mm OSS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/60sec, 210mm, ISO 6400, Anti-Motion Blur Mode
Sony Nex-5n w/ 55-210mm OSS Lens @ f/6.3, 1/40sec, 210mm, ISO 6400 – Anti Motion Blur Mode
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm Lens @ f/, 1/5sec, 36mm, ISO 6400 – Anti Motion Blur Mode
Pano sweep works pretty good, but photoshop can definitely do a better job as you might expect. That being said the Sony Nex-5n did do a very good job in the Pano department and here are 2 examples below.
Be sure to Click the images for a nice large 1000px version!!
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm Lens @ f/4, 1/60sec, 18mm, ISO 160 – Pano Sweep Mode
Notice on this crop of the pano above the tiny stitching ghost left behind just to the right of the V in the mt skyline. It’s minor considering the resolution of this pano and the fact that it to about 3 seconds to process, but worth pointing out if you plan on printing large Panos!!
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm Lens @ f/4, 1/60sec, 18mm, ISO 160 – Pano Sweep Mode – Cropped in to show flaw
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm Lens @ f/4, 1/60sec, 18mm, ISO 160 – Pano Sweep Mode
AutoHDR also does a very good job opening up the shadows and sparing the highlights from blowing out. I personally prefer doing HDR the manual way, but this is a great feature to have and I find myself using it more and more. I also pretty much always use the 6EV setting as well. Here’s a few sample photos with and without auto HDR enabled. Notice the sky and shadow areas in particular. To learn how to use this feature in more detail check out AutoHDR using the Nex-5n >>
Be sure to Click the images for a nice large 1000px version!!
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm lens @ f/7.1, 1/800sec, 18mm, ISO 800 |
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm lens @ f/7.1, 1/800sec, 18mm, ISO 800 – AutHDR 6EV |
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm lens @ f/7.1, 1/640sec, 18mm, ISO 800 |
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm lens @ f/7.1, 1/640sec, 18mm, ISO 800 – Auto HDR 6EV |
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm lens @ f/7.1, 1/50sec, 19mm, ISO 800 |
Sony Nex-5n w/ 18-55mm lens @ f/7.1, 1/50sec, 19mm, ISO 800 – AutoHDR 6ev |
Video Performance:
One of the most hyped features of the Sony Nex-5n is the HD Video performance and it performs as advertised! The only week link when recording is the focus. You can set the camera to continuously focus by using the AF-C mode, or you can have it focus when you press the shutter button half way while recording by using the AF-S mode. The continuous mode works pretty good but often doesn’t now what your subject is and can focus on the wrong thing from time to time in low light as expected. But a few times here and there outside as well. The Nex-5n is also capable of recording HD video at 60 FPS, but youtube doesn’t seem to support that and I don’t have Final Cut pro yet so I just recorded at 30fps. By the time I get the Nex-7 Hopefully those issues will be addressed.
Here’s a few sample clips showing off what the Sony Nex-5n can do and be sure to go full screen as there HD!!
I put this movie together using a bunch of clips and don’t worry, I didn’t get hurt to bad
Here’s another video of Layla eating a Bagel.
Low Light Video Performance is also very good. Check out this short montage of a few low light clips:
Must Have Accessories:
The only major issue I have with this camera is shooting in the sun and not being able to see the screen and focus effectively. Well, the Sony’s OLED Electronic Viewfindertotally solves the problem and is a must have in my opinion.
Sony’s OLED Electronic Viewfinder for NEX-5N Camera |
Sony’s OLED Electronic Viewfinder for NEX-5N Camera |
Conclusion:
The Sony Nex-5n is a solid camera all around and certainly lives up to it’s expectations. Image quality is excellent and the 16.2 Megapixel Exmor HD Sensor does a great job capturing all the detail in the highlights and the shadow areas with it’s large dynamic range capabilities. The high ISO performance is also really good as far as noise, but not the greatest on the focus side of things. The very small size of the camera is a nice perk, but can get a bit awkward at times. Once you have a large lens like the 55-210mm it’s pretty much all lens with a deck of cards on the end of it.
The quality of the images are outstanding and on par with my Canon 5D mark II. Not quite as good, but on par You can see for yourself with the sample images that the depth of filed you get is like an SLR, you really can’t tell. The E-Mount Optics that Sony is putting out (although slow coming) are incredible sharp, and are much better than any kit lens I have used from Canon!
Sony is definitely climbing to the top and I have to imagine Nikon and Canon are really getting nervous!!
The bottom line for the Sony Nex-5n: I would buy one for sure, and the bang for the buck is totally justified. I highly recommend getting the option OLED Viewfinder as well so you can shoot effectively in the sun. The room for growth is also there as the Sony E-mount lens line-up continues to grow day by day along with the accessories.
Jay
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Thanks,
Jay
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Another great review. I have a NEX5 at home (my wife’s). Incredible camera. Had I not gone through the DSLR route from P&S (canon) perhaps I would have got it for myself. Still do not like looking at the LCD and compose/focus.
Many are talking about using the A mount adaptor to use A mount lens on NEX5n or NEX7. They have to be aware that they will loose the Steady Shot that is in the E mount lens but on camera for A mount. Include this in your new review of NEX7 when you do it.
Hello, The Nex-5n and Nex-7 do not have the Steady Shot feature on the actually sensor. The feature that you can turn on and off in the camera is referring to the steady shot of the lens. So it turns the lens steady shot on and off. The Nex cameras usually have the Image stabilization built in to them because of this. The Alpha lenses do not as all the a-mounts have steady shot on the sensor.
So if you put an adapter on to convert it to A-mount you will not have steadyshot, because it’s not even there to begin with
Best,
Jay
nice review. i’m hoping to get the nex-5n soon and want to use it for HDR photography. apart from the built in HDR modes, which are a nice touch, how do you rate the HDR capabilities of the nex-5n? i’d be using photoshop and/or photomatrix and would like to do proper HDR with multiple exposures. the nex-5n aeb is limited to ±1 ev as far as i am aware and my understanding is that at least ±2 ev would be a requirement ofr decent HDR. can you advise please. thanks.
Thanks Kevin
The Nex-5n will make a fantastic HDR camera, but it does have a few things that make it a tad harder than say a Canon. The Bracketing options aren’t that good. only .5ev’s between the frames. This means you have to shoot using manual mode or exposure compensation. So as long as your subjects are fairly still the Nex-5n will work fantastic. If you need a really fast 3 shot bracketed sequence, your out of luck with this camera. That being said, it will work for a lot of HDR, but fast moving clouds and stuff will cause more ghosting issues due to the time between frames.
Image quality and dynamic range wise the Nex-5n is an excellent HDR Camera!!
I hope that helps, and have a great day!!
Thanks for your reply Jay. Have you produced any HDR images with the nex-5n? Shoot using exposure compensation? Could you explain this process a bit more please. I can’t help but think shooting HDRs in manual mode would take a bit too long in many cases and more importantly cause too much camera shake no matter how careful you are. Have you produced any HDR images with the nex-5n Jay? Thanks again.
Hey Kevin,
Yes, I did shoot a few HDR’s with the Nex-5n I believe, but I had to move them to my NAS because doing these reviews fills up my laptop HD super quick!!
In any event here is what you do and it’s extremely simple!
Step #1 – Tripod locked down so the camera cannot move at all!
Step #2 – AV mode or Manual doesn’t matter, but for this example set your camera to Aperture Priority Mode, f/8, ISO 100, RAW (file format for best quality)
Step #3 – Press the exp/comp button (located on the bottom of the wheel default) and it will bring up the adjustment screen. As you look at the exposure comp, basically what you need to do is take 3 photos. one at the -end of the exposure and the other at the + end of the exposure comp. Now you may not need to use the full spread, but it’s a great place to start.
This can be done relativity quickly once you get the hang of it, but again fast moving clouds and stuff can be problematic if your not fast enough. In those cases I would just use the AutoHDR feature and mask in the sky using Photoshop while using the foreground Real HDR composite.
Assuming this all makes sense, it’s really not that hard to do with a little practice.
Best,
Jay
thanks for your help jay.
Hey Kevin, I have the NEX-C3 (same sensor and most of the same features as 5N) and do a fair bit of HDR with it. I use a tripod, and the 3-shot bracket setting at +/-0.7. Then, without moving the camera/tripod, I adjust the aperture a bit to get a different range of light/colors in the shot, and take another 3-shot bracket. Then using Photomatix Pro I merge the six shots together. Like Jay said, you have to move fast between shots to avoid too much movement, but you get faster at it as you go along. Lots of fun. Good luck!
Thanks keith. Sounds good. I hope to have my nex-5n soon.
two quick questions, without using the attachable viewfinder is there any way to turn off the rear display when taking pictures, would save battery life durning a time lapse. Second question can the camera be set to use the electronic sensor instead of the mechanical shutter for ultra quiet shooting, that click can be very inappropriate at times?
thanks for any insights. jeff
Hey Jeff,
As far as I can tell, there is no way to turn off the rear display. It goes to sleep and you change that time, but that is about it.
For your second question, no it cannot. You can turn the beeps off, but the shutter still makes the noise. The Nikon J1 is supposedly silent though and the only silent mirrorless camera!! I read that on some forum though, so… I have not tested the Nikon J1 myself.
Best,
Jay
hi Jay, Thanks for the response
Just stumbled on your site and am very impressed. I just picked put the nex 5n yesterday and I am really enjoying using it. My issue is that I watched too many youtube videos discussing the clicking noise in video. I tried out the video (tripod & handheld) and could not denote clicking unless i shook the camera a lot. I have a canon hg20 and noticed when i rock it back and forth it too can make a clicking noise. So I have three questions:
1. If I shake the camera slightly left to right I can hear a small click. Not sure if it is a big deal but did you have that with your 5n? Trying to determine whether or not to return (although demand is high and tough to find) and I have not heard any noise while recording.
2. Settings your prefer while recording video (low light & normal light).
3. Recommendation for a second lens for video (16mm, 30mm or 50mm)
Thanks for your help & informative site.
Michael,
I never heard mine clicking, but you can hear the auto focus slightly depending on what lens and the Optical Steady Shot in the lenses makes a little noise as well. It’s very quite, but I can hear it in the videos and with my own ear at times clearly.
Video settings I usually use are the 1080 mp4 format with the fastest lens I have for use in low light. This way I can have the lowest ISO possible and still maintain 30 fps. Manual mode is also the way to go for this so your exposure doesn’t shift around on you. For family type stuff I use aperture priority mode, auto ISO, and then I play with the aperture and focus to get creative and allow the camera to maintain the exposure using the Auto ISO. Works pretty good!!
Which lens do you have now?? I personally like the 55-210mm for the Optical steadyshot and low cost/ good quality value. It also allows for excellent separation between subjects which is critical for serious videos. I would probably get the E-Mount 50mm f/1.5 first and then the 55-210mm. The the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8, then if you need wider than the the Kit lens which I assume you have, the 16mm is a good lens for the money.
I hope that helps
Jay
Comment By Alex:
“I recently got me a NEX-5N. My first interchangeable lens camera. It’s a great camera, and I’m really happy with it. Wort every penny. But I have problem.. I’m trying to take a night photo from my balcony. There is a road, a lamp post, and a forest behind. The problem is that the lamp post is about 50 meters away, and not very bright. So the camera can’t focus on it. Everything around is pitch black so I can’t make it focus on anything else. The result are out of focus/blurred images. The logical thing (I think) is to set the focus to infinity.. but the kit lens (18-55) doesn’t have a focus stop on the lens ring!!(?) Any idea how to set the focus to infinity manually? Thanks.
Alex”
This got lost in the website update, sorry Alex!!
As far as your question is concerned, this is very common with the Nex cameras. I recommend using a tri-pod and manual focus.
You can then use the magnify zoom button that pops up as the lower right soft key to make sure your get the focus perfect. Then use the self timer or remote to insure no camera shake.
I hope that helps!!
Best,
Jay
Thanks for the answer. Already using tripod and timer. The zoom magnification doesn’t help much since the only light (the lamp post) is only few pixels big on the lcd. Can’t see if it’s in the focus. But focusing on the moon, keeping the shutter half pressed, and then putting the camera on the right place did help
Alex
Sorry I didn’t hit “reply” but posted below instead.
The old focus and then re-compose technique
Nice job!!
Best,
Jay
Firmware Update Now Available!!
Firmware Update Now Available!! I just installed it on the Nex-5n and the Autofocus is much faster and more accurate!! Especially with the 70-200mm G Lens
Get it Click Here>>
Best,
Jay
Hi Jay,
Great site and awesome review. I’m a n00b when it comes to photography. I have always been interested in it and thought the NEX-5N would be a good place to start. So far im impressed with the camera, and I’m sure i would be more impressed once i learn what the thing can do. Do you have any photography for n00bs tutorials or recommend a site that is a good help with teaching people that are new to photography? Thanks and keep up the great work.
Beautiful pitbulls!!!! i have one of my own and she is amazing. cheers!
Hello Antonio,
Thank you so much for the kind words and sediments about the dogs
They are the best!!
In reference to your question, Yes I do have a bunch of tutorials on Photography that will get you on your way. The Nex-5n is an incredible powerful camera with phenomenal image quality, and once you know the basics you can start to get creative with your photography.
Check these Photography Tutorials Out:
http://sonyalphalab.com/forums/showthread.php/196-First-Camera-Where-to-start
I just posted them for another photog having similar questions on the Forum. Please feel free to sign up on the New Sony Forum and ask all the photography questions all you want!!
Jay
Hi, would you know if there’s a fisheye converter I can use with a sony 50mm f1/8 ? Trying to get some wide angle with that lens. otherwise I have the kit lens.
sorry, you already answered this before. apologies for spamming