Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Nikon D4 vs Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

67

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-5N

Size
Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
Light sensitivity
High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
Touch screen
Less buttons
Supports 24p
24p movies
For that film look
Dynamic range
Wide dynamic range
12.7 EV
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Nikon D3S

67

Tie

Nikon D3S

"The D3's proportions make it almost square, and thanks to a magnesium shell it is literally as solid as a brick."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's build-quality
"Class-leading high ISO performance and incredibly versatile ISO 100-12,800 sensitivity range"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Overall image quality
Great image quality
82.0
Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Supports 24p
24p movies
For that film look
Startup delay
Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Low light performance
Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x23.9mm

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3S

Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 460 shots
Help
More than 9.5x more shots per battery charge
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 1,079 ISO
Help
The D3S has excellent image quality 1.6 f-stops higher ISO than the NEX-5N
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x23.9mm vs APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Help
Around 2.5x larger sensor
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 121 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
More than 15x more lenses available
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 1900 ms
Help
6.3x less delay when turning on
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 25
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Overall image quality Better image quality 82.0 vs 77.0
Help
Around 10% better image quality
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Pentaprism vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5N

Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
8.9x smaller
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 60fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
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
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
The NEX-5N's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Much lighter 269 g vs 1,240 g
Help
4.6x lighter
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
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
Automatically focuses shooting video
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3.5"
Help
2.3x thinner
Lowest price Much cheaper $598.00 vs $5,196.95
Help
The best price we've seen is $4,599 cheaper (8.7x less)
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.7 EV vs 12 EV
Help
0.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 10 fps vs 9 fps
Help
More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Sony NEX-5N Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5N
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
67 vs 67
Explain scores
Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-5N
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation. 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.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution Very high resolution screens Help
D3S:921k dots
NEX-5N:920k dots
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
D3S:82.0
NEX-5N:77.0
Supports 24p Both support 24p, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
For that film look
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
D3S:Full frame 36.0x23.9mm
NEX-5N:APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Light sensitivity Extremely good maximum light sensitivity Help
D3S:12,800 ISO
NEX-5N:25,600 ISO
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Color depth Good color depth Help
D3S:23.5 bits
NEX-5N:23.6 bits
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D3S:12 EV
NEX-5N:12.7 EV
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
D3S:3,253 ISO
NEX-5N:1,079 ISO
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
D3S:9 fps
NEX-5N:10 fps
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor cleaning Self cleaning sensors Help
Avoids dust in your photos
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
D3S:1/8000s
NEX-5N: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

Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Much lower boost light sensitivity
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Light sensitivity (boost) Much lower boost light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Much lower boost light sensitivity
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Much lower boost light sensitivity
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens

True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Much lower boost light sensitivity

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

True resolution Much higher true resolution
Size Significantly smaller
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Light sensitivity (boost) Worse boost ISO
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,999 - $6,000 body only

Movie format Higher resolution movies
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,649 body only

Size Much smaller
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Movie format Does not take movies
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$7,997 - $8,000 body only

True resolution Much higher true resolution
Overall image quality Better image quality
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Nikon D3

Nikon D3

Pro DSLR

Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Movie format Does not take movies
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO

Sony NEX-5N Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Touch screen No touch screen
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens

Startup delay Less startup delay
Supports 24p No 24p support
Touch screen No touch screen
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Touch screen No touch screen
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
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
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens

Startup delay Less startup delay
Weight Slightly lighter
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Supports 24p No 24p support

appearance

Nikon D3S Sony NEX-5N
Nikon D3S Sony NEX-5N
Nikon D3S Sony NEX-5N

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