Sony NEX-5 & E18-55mm lens

Photo answers review

Photo answers rating

We’ve all been waiting in anticipation for the three leading DSLR brands to enter the CSC market, and with Canon and Nikon yet to make their move it’s Sony who places its cards on the table first, with the NEX cameras. There are two 14.2MP models in the initial offering (NEX-3 and NEX-5). Both are quite similar on paper, but the more compact and lightweight NEX-5 is the more attractive option, with the added advantage of HD video.


A new lens mount
The Compact System Camera format has led to a number of ultra-small designs bridging the gap between the DSLR and hybrid compact. The NEX-5 takes the compact size of these CSC models down to a new level, as it’s the smallest and lightest of these removable lens models to date. In order to utilise the benefits of an APS-C sensor, Sony has developed a new lens system called E-mount. This mount is quite dominating on the small body, but it’s a necessity in order to get the large image circle required to cover the sensor size. There will be an adapter for the A-series lenses, but the new mount will see a range of optics introduced. This starts with the E16mm f/2.8 prime lens kitted with the NEX-5 for £550. Next comes the E18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and E18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 optics, which are also offered in kits for £590 and £1000 respectively. The larger lenses look rather out of place on this new mount, but it’s an innovative and different direction from the electronics giant.


Features
On the back of the NEX-5 sits a 3in LCD, which can be flipped out from the body to tilt up and down for alternative viewing angles. Most screens of this design tend to sit proud from the rear of the camera, but on the NEX-5 the design is kept neatly flush. This flip-out screen is great for low level composure and seeing over crowds. The screen itself is an XtraFine TruBlack LCD with auto brightness and it offers a vivid, high-contrast performance. There is an optional viewfinder for this camera should you desire a more conventional framing option. The magnesium alloy body is one of the more minimalist we’ve seen, as there are hardly any buttons on the back of the camera. The majority of the selecting is done through ‘never get lost’ menus on the LCD. The NEX-5 is lacking a viewfinder and a built-in flash, but comes supplied with a plug-on flash, which helps keep the size down.

On the inside, the newly developed 14.2MP Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor is managed by the BIONZ image processor. The chip gives the NEX-5 DSLR-like performance with depth-of-field advantages and a high-speed shooting rate at 7fps in speed-priority mode. There’s no dual sensor cleaning, but there is an electromagnetic vibration system and anti-static coating on the sensor. Removing the lens reveals how close to the rear element the chip sits inside the camera. There are potential issues here, as this may cause image quality problems such as distortion and aberration. HD video is another great feature, with full HD 1920x1080i resolution being captured. There’s a one-touch record button on the rear of the camera and a built-in mic. An optional stereo microphone is available for more refined audio capture.
Not new on a Sony camera, but a very impressive feature nonetheless, is Sweep Panorama. This mode allows you to pan the camera from one side to another, or up and down through an effective 226° angle-of-view, to capture a continuous image. The camera stitches it all together for you, and creates an impressive 23MP file. These files are also 3D-compatible for playback on a Sony BRAVIA 3D TV panel. Other key features include an improved Auto HDR with three images being captured at different exposures and combined at high speed. You also have a neat Background Defocus Control where you can increase or decrease the level of blur in the background using the jog dial, effectively an easy and interactive way of controlling depth-of-field with the aperture settings.


Ease of use
The lack of buttons is an important element of the NEX-5, because it ensures it’s easy to use. A couple of unlabelled soft-touch buttons to the side of the screen line up alongside the graphics on the LCD, and a large rotating dial also serves as a four-way rocker control. This is a clever tool that is utilised to select the various functions, settings and shooting modes. The menus are generally clear enough to find your way around. However, they are different to what you may be used to and it takes a while to adjust. The main menu reveals six icons – shooting mode, camera (settings), image size, brightness/colour (control), playback and setup. Elements like ISO and white balance adjustment are not where you may naturally expect – you have to go through a number of menu steps to reach them. You soon learn to navigate your way around though, so it’s only an initial frustration.


Performance
The NEX-5 delivers a performance for Sony to be proud of. It’s a responsive camera that takes great quality images. The exposures aren’t bad thanks to the camera’s 49-zone multi-segment system, which enables the NEX-5 to deliver a good tonal range and accurate colours. The APS-C sensor provides 14.2MP of output detail, so you capture plenty of info. The large optics also help deliver that detail to the sensor. Images are very clean throughout the ISO range and focusing is very accurate. This is not the fastest camera out there, but with speed priority engaged it’s impressive at 7fps. Sweep Panorama is a great tool (see panel), but it struggles where there are moving elements within the pan. The HDR mode is okay, but it’s not as good as a true HDR creation using post-production software.


Final verdict
There’s a lot to like about this trendsetting CSC model from Sony, but there’s also a few niggling frustrations too. We really like the concept of an ultra-thin camera body delivering high quality images, but the large diameter (in comparison to the body size) lenses look almost out of place on the NEX-5. The general consensus of opinion is that CSC cameras are effectively high quality compacts that deliver DSLR quality. Yet this NEX-5 is still rather bulky, and certainly not pocket material. The menus are really nice and display some simple graphics, but there are also frustrations with these menus. The positive is that they look great, and for certain settings they are easy to navigate. The negative is the selection of some camera controls like ISO is really hard work. The point-and-shoot user will probably enjoy this camera more than the enthusiast photographer. It’s nice to have manual controls and creative features, but it’s the fun features like Sweep Panorama, Auto HDR and Defocus Control that demonstrate who this camera is targeted at.
www.sony.co.uk


Product specification
Street price £590 with 18-55mm lens
Effective resolution 14.2MP
Sensor type 23.4x15.6mm Exmor APS-C HD CMOS
Crop factor 1.5x
Lens mount E-Mount
Exposure modes PASM, scene, HD movie
Metering modes 49-segment multi light metering, spot and center-weighted
ISO range 200-12,800
Shooting speed 2.3fps (7fps in speed-priority)
Card type MS Pro Duo, SD/SDHC
LCD monitor size 3in tilt-angle
Aspect ratio 3:2, 16:9
Live View Yes
Autofocus 25 multi-point Contrast AF
Integrated cleaning Yes (low pass filter is anti-static coated)
Built-in stabilisation No (on lens)
Weight/size (wxhxd) 229g/110.8x58.8x38.2mm