Panasonic Lumix
DMC-LX5
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 vs Sony NEX-5N

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

70
"On the front the handgrip has been slightly enlarged and re-shaped, with a larger textured pad, making the camera easier to grip."
trustedreviews.com | talking about the DMC-LX5's feel
"It's a much simpler and more sensible interface, and makes the LX5 feel more like a digital SLR."
trustedreviews.com | talking about the DMC-LX5's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
24 mm
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Lens
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
Usually standard
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
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

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
69.0
Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
1000 ms startup delay
Color depth
 Great color depth
22.2 bits

differences

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-LX5
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
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 310 ms vs 441 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when taking photos
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $319.99 vs $569.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $249 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-LX5

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Overall image quality Much better image quality 69.0 vs 41.0
Help
 Around 70% better image quality
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots higher 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
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 460k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
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
Color depth Better color depth 22.2 bits vs 19.6 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2.6 more bits of color
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 796 ISO vs 132 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5 has excellent image quality 2.6 f-stops higher ISO than the DMC-LX5
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 1.4 f-stops more dynamic range
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 14 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 40% more detail in your photos
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Size Slightly smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 109x65x42 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 7 fps vs 6 fps
Help
 Around 20% faster continuous shooting
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.5" vs 1.7"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
70 vs 54
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. 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!

PanasonicLumix DMC-LX5
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 vs Sony Alpha NEX-5
SonyAlpha NEX-5
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
14
12
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
8
9
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
8
13
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
8
14
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
8
13
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
9
13
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
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
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
DMC-LX5:60s
NEX-5:30s

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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$583 - $600
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the Finepix X10 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 faster continuously
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 - $379 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$700 body only

$439 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$754 body only

$916 - $964 with 14-42mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$549 body only
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Touch screen Has a touch screen
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Alpha NEX-5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Macro focus Worse macro capability
External flash No external flash support
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Overall image quality Better image quality
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Olympus XZ-1

Olympus XZ-1

Pro digicam

$499 - $500
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Aperture Wider aperture
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the XZ-1 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Leica D-LUX 5

Leica D-LUX 5

Pro digicam

$1,237
Size Smaller
Thickness Thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Lowest price More expensive
Compare the D-LUX 5 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Pro digicam

$707
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Size Smaller
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX3 vs the Lumix DMC-LX5

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
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Size Significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5

appearance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 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?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 3 comments

johnmcrover (1:41 PM, December 08, 2011)
I had both the Sony NEX 5 and the Lumix LX3 (not the LX5 but pretty similar) and I was only using the NEX5 once I got that one. I have now sold the LX3, but it was reluctantly as it did give great results, but was limited in comparison.
John
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (11:09 PM, August 25, 2011)
The Nex-5 is an awesome camera, especially if you want low light image quality, interchangeable lenses, and it has some great features like panorama shots.   Our comparison is here is biased towards the LX5 because the LX5 has a built in lens, which is something we need to fix.  

So, if you're leaning towards the Nex-5, I'd go for it!  The LX5 is also a great camera, it has a much smaller sensor, and is less powerful, but, its much smaller and move convenient over all.  So if size/convenience is important, I'd recommend the LX5, otherwise the Nex-5.
 
raeraemcrae (10:47 PM, August 25, 2011)
Whew, I am so overwhelmed making the choice between these two. My friend has the NEX and loves it. I feels great in hand, and I love the articulating screen. But, this review places the LUMIX above the NEX, despite listing way way more advantages to the NEX! I don't understand that. I still feel stuck and like I can't make a decision. I had been set on the Lumix til I read this reveiw.