Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 50D vs Sony NEX-5N

Sony Alpha NEX-5

54
"The system for manually positioning AF points is quick and easy to use."
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's auto-focus
"High quality video mode"
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha NEX-5

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Size
 Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
Canon EOS 50D

31
Runner-up

Canon EOS 50D
"The ergonomics feel well sorted, all the controls are in the right place and even the formerly rather pointless Direct Print button now serves a purpose"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's button-layout
"The EOS 50D has to stand its ground in a highly competitive bracket of the DSLR market."
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
162 lenses
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Badge
 Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
9
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Lens availability Much more lenses available 162 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 20.5x more lenses available
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 9 vs 0
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Battery life Longer battery life 640 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 More than 90% more shots per battery charge
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 1000 ms
Help
 3.3x less delay when turning on
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Pentaprism vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 131 ms vs 441 ms
Help
 3.4x less delay when taking photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 14 MP
Help
 Capture around 10% more detail in your photos
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 146x108x74 mm
Help
 4.7x smaller
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Weight Much lighter 287 g vs 822 g
Help
 2.9x lighter
Overall image quality Better image quality 69.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
 0.8 f-stops more dynamic range
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 2.9"
Help
 Around 50% thinner
Focus points More focus points 25 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Color depth Better color depth 22.2 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 796 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Lowest price Cheaper $569.00 vs $1,281.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $713 cheaper (2.3x less)
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 7 fps vs 6.3 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
31 vs 54
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony Alpha NEX-5. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 50D
 Canon EOS 50D vs Sony Alpha NEX-5
SonyAlpha NEX-5
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
7
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
7
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
7
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
7
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
2
5
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
7
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
50D:15.1 MP
NEX-5:14 MP
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Sensor cleaning Self cleaning sensors Help
Avoids dust in your photos
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
50D:1/8000s
NEX-5:1/4000s
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D5100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Alpha NEX-5

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Size Slightly larger
Shutter lag Slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 50D
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Overall image quality Better image quality
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
True resolution Lower true resolution
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Size Slightly larger
Weight Slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$1,000 body only
Color depth Better color depth
Lowest price Cheaper
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 50D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 50D

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 - $600 body only

$698 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Startup delay Significantly more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$499 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Lowest price Significantly more expensive
Weight Heavier
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$479 - $548 with 16mm lens
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$597 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Sony Alpha NEX-5
Canon EOS 50D Sony Alpha NEX-5
Canon EOS 50D Sony Alpha NEX-5

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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