Sony
NEX-5N
 vs
Sony
NEX-7

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony NEX-7n

Sony NEX-5N

92

  
Sony NEX-7

91

  

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-5N

Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Battery life
 Great battery life
460 shots
 

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-7

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
True resolution
 High true resolution
24 MP
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed
 

differences

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5N
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 16,000 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5N's maximum light sensitivity is 0.7 f-stops better
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,079 ISO vs 1,016 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5N has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Longer battery life 460 shots vs 430 shots
Help
 Around 10% more shots per battery charge
Weight Lighter 269 g vs 350 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $649.95 vs $948.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $298 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Sony NEX-5N Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5N

Advantages of the Sony NEX-7
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
True resolution Much higher true resolution 24 MP vs 16 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Startup delay Less startup delay 1200 ms vs 1900 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when turning on
Overall image quality Better image quality 81.0 vs 77.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.4 EV vs 12.7 EV
Help
 0.7 f-stops more dynamic range
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
Color depth Better color depth 24.1 bits vs 23.6 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.5 more bits of color
Sony NEX-7 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-7
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-5N
92 vs 91
Explain scores
Sony NEX-7 Sony NEX-7
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
NEX-5N:1,079 ISO
NEX-7:1,016 ISO
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
NEX-5N:77.0
NEX-7:81.0
Color depth Good color depth Help
NEX-5N:23.6 bits
NEX-7:24.1 bits
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
NEX-5N:12.7 EV
NEX-7:13.4 EV
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
HDR In-camera HDR Help
Combines multiple exposures
Battery life Great battery life Help
NEX-5N:460 shots
NEX-7:430 shots
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
Size Fairly small Help
Compact 111x59x38 mm
External flash Each supports an external flash Help
Better lighting
Longest exposure Short max exposure time Help
30 seconds
Focus points Few focus points Help
25
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-6

Sony Alpha NEX-6

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 body only

$898 with 16-50mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Autofocus Focuses automatically
Size Is slightly larger
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the NEX-5N
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the NEX-7
Sony NEX-5R

Sony NEX-5R

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$498 body only

$598 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Focuses automatically
Focus points Has significantly more focus points
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Compare the NEX-5R vs the NEX-5N
Compare the NEX-5R vs the NEX-7
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$656 with 18-55mm lens
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX-5N
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX-7
Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,114 body only

$1,099 with 14-42mm lens
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Weight Is significantly heavier
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the OM-D E-M5 vs the NEX-5N
Compare the OM-D E-M5 vs the NEX-7
Samsung NX300

Samsung NX300

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 - $749 with 20-50mm lens
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Supports 24p Doesn't record movies in 24p
Compare the NX300 vs the NEX-5N
Compare the NX300 vs the NEX-7
Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100

Pro digicam

$648 - $760
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Compare the Cybershot DSC-RX100 vs the NEX-5N
Compare the Cybershot DSC-RX100 vs the NEX-7
Canon EOS M

Canon EOS M

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 with 22mm lens
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Thickness Is thinner
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the EOS M vs the NEX-5N
Compare the EOS M vs the NEX-7

Sony NEX-5N Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-3N

Sony Alpha NEX-3N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$448 with 16-50mm lens
Image stabilization Image stabilization
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
Touch screen No touch screen
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Alpha NEX-3N vs the NEX-5N
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$379 - $730 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Less startup delay
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Touch screen No touch screen
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the NEX-5N
Samsung NX1000

Samsung NX1000

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$325 - $499 with 20-50mm lens
True resolution Higher true resolution
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Touch screen No touch screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the NX1000 vs the NEX-5N

Sony NEX-7 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the X-E1 vs the NEX-7
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Battery life Much longer battery life
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Size Much larger
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the D7000 vs the NEX-7

appearance

Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-7
Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-7
Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-7

discussion

Showing 11 comments

Avatar for juan delgado juan delgado (9:38 PM, April 17, 2012)
iv bought the 5n and returned it one week and 6days later and bought the a65 very happy..... biggest difference is 5n is smaller in my hands it felt like i was bound to break something soon nex7 is almost pro like comes with a good lens too + :-)
 
Mardicronin (4:20 AM, April 17, 2012)
I'm very interested in these cameras but wondering what the biggest difference would be between the two. Is it worth the extra $$ or should I settle for the nex5??
 
CITO (5:47 AM, January 16, 2012)
my only problem with the nex 7 is the ugly pop up flash, it should have been built in camera above viewfinder (like a DSC-W180 cybershots flash) SCARED ILL DROP IT AND FLASH HITS SOMETHING WHILE POPPED OPEN
 
Avatar for Daniel Kuntz Daniel Kuntz (1:39 PM, January 07, 2012)
Actually the NEX 5N's body is magnesium alloy. But I do agree that it feels plasticky.
 
Avatar for Ji Hoon Yoon Ji Hoon Yoon (3:39 AM, December 06, 2011)
The NEX 7 actually drains battery faster when using the viewfinder due to the fact that it's an EVF, not an OVF. Doesn't save battery life at all.
 
Sadasddas (7:06 PM, December 02, 2011)
wow, what?
 
Lanson Chua (1:20 PM, October 20, 2011)
Thanks Jokapro, and that looks better. I have seen the NEX5N`s lens, the finishing feel & look so coarse and unpolished. The body is so plasticky too. Waiting for NEX 7.
 
Jokapr07 (0:02 PM, October 20, 2011)
If you are basing your assumption on the photo above, the NEX-7 in the picture has the 50mm 1.8 lens on it as opposed to the 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens.  And yes the NEX-5N can use the 50mm 1.8 lens.  
 
Lanson Chua (4:04 PM, September 25, 2011)
NEX-5N lens has a terrible proportion to its body. It is a pissed off. It has ruin the portability completely. Can the slimmer one on NEX-7 used on NEX-5N?
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (5:04 PM, August 24, 2011)
Hi Tom, thanks for pointing out those mistakes, in our effort to get the new cameras up on the site quickly we have made a mistake or two! We'll get those fixed asap.
 
Avatar for Tom Long Tom Long (4:59 PM, August 24, 2011)
On the NEX-7, you have the high ISO as 160,000.  The Sony site has 16,000.  On the NEX-5N the max and min shutter speeds are reversed.  Greatly enjoy your site.  Very helpful.