Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon D800 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
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Nikon D700

66

"Fast and accurate 51 point auto-focus even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's auto-focus
"Clean, artifact-free low ISO output with good resolution and detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Low light performance
Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.72x
Lens availability
Slightly more lenses available
121 lenses
Battery life
Great battery life
1000 shots

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D700

Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Help
Around 2.5x larger sensor
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 1,079 ISO
Help
The D700 has excellent image quality 1.1 f-stops higher ISO than the NEX-5N
Battery life Much longer battery life 1000 shots vs 460 shots
Help
More than 2x more shots per battery charge
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 121 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
More than 15x more lenses available
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 1900 ms
Help
4.8x less delay when turning on
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 25
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
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
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 80.0 vs 77.0
Help
Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5N

Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 60fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
5.6x smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
The NEX-5N's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
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
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
Weight Much lighter 269 g vs 1,074 g
Help
4x lighter
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 5 fps
Help
2x faster continuous shooting
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3"
Help
2x thinner
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $598.00 vs $2,649.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $2,051 cheaper (4.4x less)
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.7 EV vs 12.2 EV
Help
0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Sony NEX-5N Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5N
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon D700 Nikon D700
66 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
D700:922k dots
NEX-5N:920k dots
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
D700:80.0
NEX-5N:77.0
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
D700:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
NEX-5N: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
Color depth Good color depth Help
D700:23.5 bits
NEX-5N:23.6 bits
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D700:12.2 EV
NEX-5N:12.7 EV
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
D700:2,303 ISO
NEX-5N:1,079 ISO
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
D700:1/8000s
NEX-5N: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

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

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

True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
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
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

True resolution Much higher true resolution
Movie format Shoots movies
Size Slightly larger
Battery life Shorter battery life
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Focus points Significantly fewer focus points
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Size Smaller
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Sensor size Much smaller sensor

Sony NEX-5N Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

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 D700 Sony NEX-5N
Nikon D700 Sony NEX-5N
Nikon D700 Sony NEX-5N

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