Nikon
D90
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Nikon D7000 vs Sony NEX-7

Nikon D90

62
Winner

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"Although the buttons have been redesigned and are a lot easier to press the layout is identical to the D80."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
169 lenses
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Battery life
 Great battery life
850 shots
Sony Alpha NEX-5

54
Runner-up

Sony Alpha NEX-5
"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

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
3D
 Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 More than 21x more lenses available
Battery life Much longer battery life 850 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 More than 2.5x 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
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 69.0
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
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 796 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 208 ms vs 441 ms
Help
 2.1x less delay when taking photos
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.5 more bits of color
Cross type focus points Slightly more cross-type focus points 1 vs 0
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 12.2 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 132x103x77 mm
Help
 4.2x 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 703 g
Help
 2.4x lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3"
Help
 2x thinner
True resolution Higher true resolution 14 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Focus points More focus points 25 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 Around 60% faster continuous shooting
Lowest price Cheaper $569.00 vs $869.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $300 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon D90 Nikon D90
62 vs 54
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD90
 Nikon D90 vs Sony Alpha NEX-5
SonyAlpha NEX-5
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
13
26
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
21
13
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
21
11
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
21
12
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
12
19
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
24
9
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
16
19
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
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
D90:73.0
NEX-5:69.0
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D90:12.5 EV
NEX-5:12.2 EV
Color depth Good color depth Help
D90:22.7 bits
NEX-5:22.2 bits
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
D90:977 ISO
NEX-5:796 ISO
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
D90:12.2 MP
NEX-5:14 MP
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
1/4000 of a second
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
D90:1
NEX-5:0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Compare the D5100 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 significantly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Compare the D3100 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 significantly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D90
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Alpha NEX-5

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Weight Heavier
Startup delay Slightly more startup delay
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Size Larger
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D90

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

Nikon D90 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D90 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D90 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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