Canon PowerShot
G10
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Canon PowerShot G10 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
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Canon PowerShot G10

52

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot G10

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Lens
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Tunnel
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
Usually standard

differences

Advantages of the Canon G10
Image stabilization Image stabilization Lens vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
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 Tunnel vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 14.6 MP vs 14 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Canon PowerShot G10 Learn more about
the Canon G10

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Overall image quality Much better image quality 69.0 vs 37.0
Help
 Around 90% better image quality
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution Full HD (1080p) video
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
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10 EV
Help
 2.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 461k dots
Help
 Around 2x higher resolution screen
Color depth Better color depth 22.2 bits vs 19 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 3.2 more bits of color
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 796 ISO vs 156 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5 has excellent image quality 2.4 f-stops higher ISO than the G10
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 0.7 fps
Help
 10x faster continuous shooting
Size Smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 109x78x46 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Weight Lighter 287 g vs 390 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Thickness Thinner 1.5" vs 1.8"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Longest exposure Longer exposures 30s vs 15s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot G10 Canon PowerShot G10
52 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 digicam with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot G10
 Canon PowerShot G10 vs Sony Alpha NEX-5
SonyAlpha NEX-5
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
1
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
1
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
1
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
G10:14.6 MP
NEX-5:14 MP
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 - $600 body only

$698 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Weight Is slightly heavier
True resolution Takes significantly lower resolution photos
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Alpha NEX-5
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
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$583 - $600
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Thickness Is thicker
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,189 - $1,419
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PowerShot G10
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the Alpha NEX-5

Canon PowerShot G10 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G11

Canon PowerShot G11

Pro digicam

$704
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Overall image quality Better image quality
Screen size Smaller screen
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the PowerShot G11 vs the PowerShot G10
Nikon Coolpix P7000

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Pro digicam

$279 - $500
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Macro focus Worse macro capability
Compare the Coolpix P7000 vs the PowerShot G10
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
True resolution Lower true resolution
Macro focus Worse macro capability
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot G10
Canon PowerShot G9

Canon PowerShot G9

Pro digicam
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Size Slightly smaller
Wide angle Much worse wide angle
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Compare the PowerShot G9 vs the PowerShot G10

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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 PowerShot G10 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot G10 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot G10 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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