Sony Alpha NEX 5

portability, usability, performance, image quality, price

screen

97% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

usability, performance, image quality, portability, lens

viewfinder, exposure

85% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

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Solid image quality ; Accepts both SD/SDHC and Memory Stick cards ; Innovative modes, including Sweep Panorama ; HD movie recording with stereo audio ; Compact design with DSLR capabilities ; Excellent burst mode

No built-in flash ; Proprietary accessory mount and new lens mount

Sony's first interchangeable-lens compact camera, the NEX-5 offers image and video quality on a par with a DSLR and has unique modes that go beyond anything else in its class. The only thing missing is a built-in flash.

Small, innovative designs that are still comfortable to hold ; High resolution sensor with excellent High ISO performance (in PASM modes) ; Good JPEG output quality ; Great build quality (particularly NEX-5) ; Metal barrelled lenses feel impressive...

High ISO capability (a major advantage of its large sensor) unavailable in iAuto mode ; Constant overexposure of images wastes highlight capabilities (and no exposure compensation to correct it in iAuto mode) ; Consumes battery quickly if you use the...

The NEX-5 is a dramatic and original approach to camera design, offering some of the best image quality its class in a tiny, sleek body. It's not perfect as a camera to just point-and-shoot but in the hands of someone willing to take a little control...

Great Build Quality ; Very Comfortable size and weight ; APS-C Size sensor allows for high quality images ; Ability to record 1080i video with Stereo Sound ; Fast and Quiet Contrast Detect AF system using NEX lenses ; Superb High Resolution LCD ;...

Default Metering settings give brighter than desired exposures in some conditions ; Limited Lens Availability without using an Adapter (only 3 NEX lens models so far) ; Limited External Controls compared to some competing models ; No Viewfinder...

Sony has entered the market for smaller interchangeable lens cameras with a bold design that incorporates an APS-C size sensor for great image quality in a smaller and lighter package with superb build quality for it's class, combined with a new lens...

Now that Sony has put itself onto the system cameras market with the Sony NEX-5, the attention for this segment of cameras will only increase. This is a positive development. The existing system cameras by Panasonic, Olympus and Samsung all take as...

Lacking the charm of the Olympus Pen series, the usability of the Panasonic G range and Samsung NX10, or the quirkiness and lateral thinking behind the Ricoh GXR, Sony is majoring on its all-conquering brand name and ready-made mass-market...

Excellent image quality, especially at high sensitivities ; Ultra-compact body with interchangeable lenses (though see below) ; Beautiful, high resolution, articulating 3" LCD; very good outdoor visibility ; Well-implemented live view with fast...

Ultra-compact body means no mode dial, few buttons, and lots of things to block with your fingers ; No built-in flash; included external flash not powerful, has redeye issues; no support for standard external flashes ; Not as many manual controls (e.g....

Now that Sony has worked out a lot of the initial quibbles that reviewers (this one included) had with the NEX-5, it's become a camera that's much more pleasant to use. It offers a compact body (though the lenses are giant), great photo quality, a ton...

Great performance for a compact camera owing to the large sensor, Very good low light performance, Well built

Lack of manual controls, Sensor slightly noisier than mid-range dSLR cameras like the Canon EOS 7D and Nikon D300s, Expensive and rather niche, many will prefer an entry level dSLR