Sony Alpha
NEX-5
 vs
Sony
SLT-A55

Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Sony NEX-5N vs Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT-A55

57
Winner

Sony SLT-A55
"The A55 feels like a cross between a good midrange DSLR and a high-end 'bridge' model, but its focus system and large, high-resolution viewfinder surpass our expectations of both types of camera."
dpreview.com | talking about the SLT-A55's feel
"The Sony Alpha SLT A55 is completely new designs which offer several key advantages over 'traditional' DSLR technology."
dpreview.com | talking about the SLT-A55's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT-A55

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
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
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
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
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
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Size Significantly smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 124x92x85 mm
Help
 3.9x smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3.3"
Help
 2.2x thinner
Weight Lighter 287 g vs 500 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Focus points More focus points 25 vs 15
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5

Advantages of the Sony SLT-A55
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 92 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 11.5x more lenses available
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 69.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
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
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 14 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 7 fps
Help
 More than 40% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 220 ms vs 441 ms
Help
 2x less delay when taking photos
Color depth Better color depth 23 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Cross type focus points Slightly more cross-type focus points 3 vs 0
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Sony SLT-A55 Learn more about
the Sony SLT-A55
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
54 vs 57
Explain scores
Sony SLT-A55 Sony SLT-A55
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony SLT-A55. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a mirrorless interchangeable-lens with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution Very high resolution screens Help
NEX-5:920k dots
SLT-A55:921k dots
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
1080p @ 30fps
3D Both can take 3D photos, many cameras like these don't Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
NEX-5:APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
SLT-A55:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Light sensitivity Extremely good maximum light sensitivity Help
12,800 ISO
HDR Both have in-camera, most cameras like these don't Help
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
NEX-5:14 MP
SLT-A55:16 MP
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
NEX-5:12.2 EV
SLT-A55:12.4 EV
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Color depth Good color depth Help
NEX-5:22.2 bits
SLT-A55:23 bits
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
1/4000 of a second
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds

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

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
Light sensitivity Much higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Autofocus Users slower contrast detection autofocus
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the NEX-5N vs the SLT-A55
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the D5100 vs the SLT-A55
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
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the SLT-A55
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Autofocus Users slower contrast detection autofocus
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the NEX-7 vs the SLT-A55
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
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the SLT-A55
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the D3100 vs the SLT-A55
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D90 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Compare the D90 vs the SLT-A55

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
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Size Slightly larger
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
True resolution Higher true resolution
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

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

Sony SLT-A55 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$698 - $700 body only

$798 - $800 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Battery life Longer battery life
GPS No built-in GPS
Size Slightly larger
Compare the SLT A57 vs the SLT-A55
Sony SLT-A65

Sony SLT A65

Entry-level DSLR

$898 body only

$998 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Size Slightly larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the SLT A65 vs the SLT-A55
Sony SLT A35

Sony SLT A35

Entry-level DSLR

$598 body only

$629 with 18-70mm lens
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
Weight Lighter
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
GPS No built-in GPS
Compare the SLT A35 vs the SLT-A55
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Entry-level DSLR

$949 with 55-200mm lens
Battery life Much longer battery life
Overall image quality Better image quality
GPS No built-in GPS
Size Larger
Compare the Alpha DSLR-A580 vs the SLT-A55

appearance

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony SLT-A55
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony SLT-A55
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony SLT-A55

discussion

Showing 2 comments

E.C. (4:47 PM, July 08, 2011)
For most NEX users I assume 30 secs would be more than enough, but for the A55 that is pretty limited !
 
Shetonastik (4:42 PM, May 20, 2011)
both cameras have a bulb setting for max exposure... 30 sec? Wha?!