Samsung
NX10
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Samsung NX10 vs Sony NEX-5N

Sony Alpha NEX-5

80
"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

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
1000 ms startup delay
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
Samsung NX10

54
Runner-up

Samsung NX10

Reasons to buy the Samsung NX10

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
1.6"
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed

differences

Advantages of the Samsung NX10
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Color depth Better color depth 22.8 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
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
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 11 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Samsung NX10 Learn more about
the Samsung NX10

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 796 ISO vs 572 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5 has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 1.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 614k dots
Help
 Around 50% higher resolution screen
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
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
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
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
Overall image quality Better image quality 69.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Size Significantly smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 123x87x40 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 287 g vs 499 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.5" vs 1.6"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $569.00 vs $635.69
Help
 The best price we've seen is $67 cheaper (more than 10% less)
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Samsung NX10 Samsung NX10
54 vs 80
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony Alpha NEX-5.

advice

Need help deciding?

Ask the community!
I am considering either the Samsung NX10 or the Sony NEX-5,
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similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Color depth Good color depth Help
NX10:22.8 bits
NEX-5:22.2 bits
Longest exposure Short max exposure time Help
30 seconds
Light sensitivity (boost) No boost ISO Help
Lacks boost light sensitivity
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look
Lens availability Few lenses available Help
NX10:11 lenses
NEX-5:8 lenses
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Startup delay Has much more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the NX10
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the NEX-7 vs the NX10
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the NEX C3 vs the NX10
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the NX10
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the NX10
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the NX10
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the NX10
Compare the D5100 vs the Alpha NEX-5

Samsung NX10 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Samsung NX11

Samsung NX11

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$619 - $725 with 18-55mm lens
Compare the NX11 vs the NX10
Samsung NX100

Samsung NX100

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$865 - $1,001 with 20-50mm lens
Size Smaller
Weight Significantly lighter
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the NX100 vs the NX10
Samsung NX5

Samsung NX5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$830 with 18-55mm lens
Live view No live view
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the NX5 vs the NX10

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Size Larger
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$689 with 18-55mm lens
Storage slots Has more storage slots
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the Alpha NEX-5

appearance

Samsung NX10 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Samsung NX10 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Samsung NX10 Sony Alpha NEX-5

discussion

Showing 2 comments

Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (3:14 PM, May 27, 2011)
Hey Jason, you are right the the NX10 has in lens image stabilization, but since Snapsort doesn't take interchangeable lenses into account when it rates cameras (only the camera body) that stabilization has been left out of our review. We are looking at adding virtual lenses to cameras like these in the future to fix this issue.
Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Jason M (11:12 AM, May 27, 2011)
The NX10 does have image stabilisation. Theres a switch on the NX range of lenses.