Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

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

Sony Alpha NEX-5

54
"With noise (and noise reduction in the JPEGs), kept well controlled up to ISO 3200, and giving very usable results even at 6400."
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's iso-noise
"With its magnesium alloy body has a level of build that's pretty much untouchable for the money."
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha NEX-5

Size
 Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
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
3D
 Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Canon EOS 5D

48
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,368 ISO
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
125 lenses
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Lens availability Much more lenses available 125 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 More than 15.5x more lenses available
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 796 ISO
Help
 The 5D has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Pentaprism vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 71.0 vs 69.0
Help
 Almost the same
Color depth Better color depth 22.9 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 3,200 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

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
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 5.2x smaller
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
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 1,600 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5's maximum light sensitivity is 3 f-stops better
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 1.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Weight Much lighter 287 g vs 895 g
Help
 3.1x lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3"
Help
 Around 50% thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Lowest price Much cheaper $569.00 vs $3,991.31
Help
 The best price we've seen is $3,422 cheaper (7x less)
True resolution Higher true resolution 14 MP vs 12.7 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
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 5D Canon EOS 5D
48 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.

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
5D:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
NEX-5:APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
5D:12.7 MP
NEX-5:14 MP
Color depth Good color depth Help
5D:22.9 bits
NEX-5:22.2 bits
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
5D:1/8000s
NEX-5:1/4000s
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
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

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly 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 5D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly 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 5D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 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 5D
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D5100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D90 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,199
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the Alpha NEX-5

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much larger screen
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much larger screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,330 body only
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 5D
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much larger screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Startup delay More startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Startup delay Slightly more startup delay
Weight Heavier
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
True resolution Higher true resolution
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Size Slightly larger
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the Alpha NEX-5

appearance

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

discussion

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