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Sony Alpha NEX-5

21 Jun 2010

The Sony Alpha NEX-5 packs a DSLR-sized APS-C sensor into a compact camera's body. Along with the NEX-3, it is the first of Sony's mirror-less interchangeable lens digital cameras with the new E-mount.

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HWZ's Overall Rating: 9.0

Performance:

Design:

8.5

Features:

User-Friendliness:

Value:

Excellent image quality.

Very compact camera body.

Wide photographic features.

Hard to change settings manually.

Large lens makes heft feel unbalanced.

Low battery life.

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		<h2>More articles (2)</h2>
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			<a href="/review-sony-nex-5-next-generation-digital-compact-cameras" alt="/product-sony-alpha-nex-5/review?review=46842">Sony NEX-5 - The Next Generation of Digital Compact Cameras</a>			</li>
					<li >
			<a href="/feature-sony-launches-new-generation-nex-cameras" alt="/product-sony-alpha-nex-5/review?review=41823">Sony Launches New Generation NEX Cameras</a>			</li>
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			<h2 class="header-green">Sony NEX-5 - The Next Generation of Digital Compact Cameras</h2>
		<span class="byline">Reviewed by Alvin Soon on Monday, 21 Jun 2010</span>
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		 		<h2 class="page-title">Sony NEX-5 - The Next Generation of Digital Compact Cameras</h2>
		 		<h3 class="page_title">The Sony Alpha NEX-5&nbsp;Digital Camera</h3>
<p>The dream is a simple one: to take high-quality photos similar to a DSLR camera but with a camera the size of a compact, and Panasonic, Olympus and Samsung have all raced to make it happen.</p>
<p>Sony is the latest entrant to the scene with the NEX-5 and NEX-3 cameras, and unlike the Micro&nbsp;Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus which have smaller sensors, the NEX cameras pack an APS-C sized sensor - similar to entry-level DSLRs - into a really small body.</p>
<p>But coming nearly one and a half years after the announcement of the first Micro Four Thirds camera, and after Samsung's APS-C sensor-sized NX cameras, are the NEX cameras enough for Sony to make up for lost time? We caught up with Toru Katsumoto, Senior GM of Sony's Digital Imaging Business Group to give us an overview and some design insights of the NEX series before we give you our full assessment of the top model, the NEX-5.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><embed height="340" width="560" src="http://content.bitsontherun.com/players/y7ytZ6Yt-fIt31LXW.swf" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></p>
<p class="rtecenter">&nbsp;<img height="335" width="500" alt="" src="/files/images/DSC_7758_0.jpg" title="The Sony NEX-5 as seen here with two lens varieties has come a long way since we handled the prototypes at the CP+ event (as pictured above). We'll give you our verdict of it in the following pages." /></p>			</div>
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