Sony Alpha NEX 5R

483 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
usability (158)
portability (127)
image quality (107)
performance (87)
size (56)

Negative
viewfinder (23)
battery (16)
reliability (7)
memory (3)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 483 reviews of Sony Alpha NEX 5R. The average rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. People are impressed by the size and performance. The image quality and portability also get good comments. The reliability and focus get mixed views, while many are critical about the memory and battery.

usability, portability, image quality, performance, size

viewfinder, battery, memory

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Sony Alpha NEX 5R is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 91/100 = Excellent quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 483 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

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Features

usability
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portability
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image quality
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performance
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screen
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Showing 1 - 127 of 343 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (137)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sony Alpha NEX 5R

alaTest has collected and analyzed 63 user reviews of Sony Alpha NEX 5R from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.6/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk. Opinions about the performance and price are on the whole positive. The lens and usability also get good feedback. Some have doubts about the memory and reliability. Reviews are divided on the viewfinder.

portability, usability, lens, price, performance

reliability, memory

94% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony Alpha NEX 5R

alaTest has collected and analyzed 54 user reviews of Sony Alpha NEX 5R from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com. Reviewers really like the price and performance. The image quality and portability also get good feedback, but views are divided on the reliability.

usability, portability, image quality, performance, price

93% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Richard Grech (digitaltrends.com)

Sony Alpha NEX-5R Review

The Sony NEX-5R is a solid interchangeable lens camera that will (sometimes) make you forget about your DSLR.

Overall, the Sony NEX-5R is a very capable interchangeable lens camera. It produces very nice images and overall is thoughtfully designed. There are times that it will totally make you forget about the DSLR you have sitting in your camera bag, and is...

May, 2013

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Expert review by (engadget.com)

Sony NEX-5R review: focusing and performance improvements make this cam a winner

Sony's third-generation NEX-5 delivers excellent performance for a manageable price.

Drastically improved focusing performanceExcellent image quality and battery life10 frames-per-second stills180-degree rotatable LCD

No microphone inputWiFi app issues at launch

We've followed Sony's NEX line closely, after seeing significant promise with the very first models -- the NEX-3 and NEX-5. This year's successors offer even more punch, and we're quite thrilled with the 5R. We're not convinced that the company's...

Oct, 2012

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Expert review by : Lori Grunin (cnet.com)

Sony's NEX-5R camera does so much right

The NEX-5R is great for taking photos, not so much for sharing them.

delivers excellent photo quality, even in dimmer light, and provides more physical controls than some of its predecessors for a more streamlined shooting design.

The wireless connectivity and apps "ecosystem" implementations are far less than this camera deserves.

It's a great camera choice for high-quality stills and a streamlined shooting design under $800, but the Sony Alpha NEX-5R falls short when it comes to sharing your shots online.

Dec, 2012

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Expert review by (cnet.com)

Sony Alpha NEX-5R ( Body Only, Black)

Image quality The 5R's photo quality rates as excellent, though not significantly more excellent than the 5N's despite a new sensor. ISO 12800 JPEGs look a little better from the 5R -- keep in mind that "better" does not imply "usable" -- but otherwise...

Sony Alpha NEX-5R delivers excellent photo quality, even in dimmer light, and provides more physical controls than some of its predecessors for a more streamlined shooting design.

The wireless connectivity and apps "ecosystem" implementations are far less than this camera deserves.

It's a great camera choice for high-quality stills and a streamlined shooting design under $800, but the Sony Alpha NEX-5R falls short when it comes to sharing your shots online.

Dec, 2012

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Expert review by : Jim Fisher (pcmag.com)

Sony Alpha NEX-5R

The Sony Alpha NEX-5R is a small interchangeable-lens camera built around a big, excellent image sensor, but it's a tough sell when you consider the rest of Sony's NEX lineup, including our Editors' Choice, the less-expensive Alpha NEX-F3.

Tilting, touch-screen LCD. Optional EVF available. Built-in Wi-Fi. Great high ISO performance. 9fps burst shooting.

No built-in flash. So-so kit lens. No hot shoe. No dedicated battery charger. Some camera apps cost money.

The controls are enhanced from the NEX-5N. The shutter release and On/Off switch have been combined into a single control, and a control wheel now occupies the space where the On/Off switch was on 5N. There's also a new programmable Fn button to the...

Nov, 2012

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Lars Rehm , Richard Butler (dpreview.com)

Sony NEX-5R Hands-on Preview

The Alpha NEX-5R is Sony's seventh NEX camera and the third in its '5' series that aims to appeal to a more demanding customer than the point-and-shoot-upgrader-friendly '3' cameras. The 5R is a subtle upgrade over the existing 5N but the changes...

Aug, 2012

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Expert review by : William Chambers (steves-digicams.com)

Sony NEX-5R Preview

Sony continues to add powerful new models to their NEX line of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, and for the fall of 2012 they've added the NEX-5R. This unit builds off of the NEX-5N that was released in late 2011, with some impressive...

Aug, 2012

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Expert review by : Mark Goldstein (photographyblog.com)

Sony NEX-5R Review

The Sony NEX-5R is a new mid-range compact system camera. Featuring a 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, Fast Hybrid phase- and contrast-detect autofocus system, 49-segment exposure meter and 3-inch, 180° tilting LCD panel with 921,000-dot...

The new NEX-5R is an excellent all-round compact system camera that successfully reaches out to beginners and more experience users alike. While it looks almost identical to its predecessor, the new 180° tilting LCD screen, faster hybrid auto-focusing,...

Nov, 2012

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Expert review by : Digital Camera Review (digitalcamerareview.com)

Sony NEX-5R Review: Classy, Compact and Connected

Conclusion Sony's NEX-5R is overall quite a minor update to the old NEX-5N--but the changes that are there really count. The WiFi transmission feature is really quite cool for photographers, journalists or enthusiasts that need to shoot and share on...

Great image quality up to 6400, Fast focusing, but still not up to par with Olympus's FAST AF system, Compact size, The addition of the touchscreen helps a bit in most cases., Improved battery life, Addition of new dials to make access to settings much...

Our touchscreen wasn't as responsive, Old hot shoe, Weird placement of the playback button, Could have done better with at least an older EVF built in

Feb, 2013

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Expert review by : EveryReview (everyreview.com)

Sony NEX 5R Review

Sony have a long history of producing great cameras and the Sony NEX 5R jumps onto this history as being another success for the company. The compact well built camera produces exceptional photos and video and is easy and simple to use.

Brilliant video recording, - Sleek design, - Quality LCD screen

Lack of view finder, - Limited lens options

Jan, 2013

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