Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony NEX-5

14 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras by Sony. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Sony NEX-5 was launched in June 2010. As you can see, NEX-5 is 4 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Sony NEX-5 has a 14.0MP APS-C sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-06

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 409600

Sony E Mount

3 Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-06-07

14MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 12800

Sony E Mount

3" Tilting Screen

7 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

287g. 111 x 59 x 38 mm

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony NEX-5 was replaced by Sony Alpha NEX-5N. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha NEX-5N vs Sony Alpha NEX-5
Sony Alpha NEX-5N vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Sony Alpha NEX-5

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max ISO	409.600 vs 12.800	3100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 920k dots	33% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life	360 shots vs 330 shots	30 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth	23.9 vs 22.2	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.2 vs 12.2	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3702 vs 796	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.24µm² vs 26.02µm²	173% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha NEX-5 over Sony Alpha A7S

Max Sensor Resolution	14 MP vs 12 MP	16% more pixels
Continuous Shooting	7.0fps vs 5.0fps	2 fps faster
Weight	287 g vs 489 g	202 g lighter

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Sony Alpha NEX-5

Adjustable LCD Screen	Tilting vs Tilting	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Sony Alpha NEX-5

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Sony NEX-5 has external dimensions of 111 x 59 x 38 mm (4.37 x 2.32 x 1.5″) and weighs 287 g (0.63 lb / 10.12 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5. Sony NEX-5 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 16mm narrower, 35mm shorter and 10mm thinner than Sony A7S.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5.

Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony NEX-5 is significantly lighter (202g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Sony NEX-5 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Sony NEX-5's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S

NEX-5

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S

NEX-5

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over NEX-5 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Both cameras feature Tilting screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels.

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Sony NEX-5 has a 14.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Below you can see the A7S and NEX-5 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony NEX-5. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 18 points higher than NEX-5.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Sony A7S	87	23.9 bits	13.2 Evs	3702 ISO
Sony NEX-5	69	22.2 bits	12.2 Evs	796 ISO

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Both Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 have 128 native lenses available but be careful that since Sony A7S has a full frame sensor, only 81 of these lenses can cover the full frame sensor of A7S.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses with Image stabilization for Sony E mount.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7S Lenses	# of Sony NEX-5 Lenses
Standard Zoom	12 (9 Full Frame)	12
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	18
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	7
Wideangle Prime	42 (26 Full Frame)	42
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	9
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	18
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	2
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	8
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	2
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	128 (81 Full Frame)	128

Here are some of the most popular Sony E Mount Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Sony E Mount Lenses for A7S and NEX-5

	Coverage	Weight	Focusing	Street Price
Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS	35mm FF	780gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar T	35mm FF	426gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS	APS-C / DX	345gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS	35mm FF	840gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T	35mm FF	120gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS	35mm FF	854gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony FE 50mm F1.8	35mm FF	186gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS	APS-C / DX	116gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM	24 - 70mm	886gr	1375gr	136mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G	24 - 82.5mm	494gr	781gr	100mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS	70 - 200mm	1480gr	1969gr	200mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS	82.5 - 315mm	345gr	632gr	108mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 50mm F1.4	50mm	778gr	1267gr	108mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS	52.5mm	155gr	442gr	45mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM	16 - 35mm	680gr	1169gr	122mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS	15 - 27mm	225gr	512gr	64mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS	24 - 105mm	663gr	1152gr	113mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS	24 - 105mm	308gr	595gr	75mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS	100 - 400mm	1395gr	1884gr	205mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS	105 - 525mm	625gr	912gr	142mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Sony NEX-5 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony NEX-5 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony NEX-5 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony NEX-5 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
287g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony NEX-5 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Sony NEX-5: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Sony NEX-5 scores compare:

Sony A7S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony NEX-5

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #107 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #444 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sony NEX-5 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Sony A7S.

Sony NEX-5 vs Sony A7S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha A7S	Sony Alpha NEX-5
Brand	Sony	Sony
Announced	2014-04-06	2010-06-07
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	APS-C
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	23.4 x 15.6 mm
Area	855.62mm²	365.04mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	14 megapixels
Max Resolution	4240 x 2832	4592 x 3056
Max Native Light sensitivity	409,600 ISO	12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	200 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	25	25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony E	Sony E
Number of Available Lenses	128	128
Screen
Type	Tilting	Tilting
Size	3	3"
Resolution	1,230k dots	920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	None
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	12.00 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps	7.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC	AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	489g	287g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 48mm	111 x 59 x 38mm
Battery Life	360 shots	330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording	With Downloadable App
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	87	69
DxO Color Depth	23.9	22.2
DxO Dynamic Range	13.2	12.2
DxO Low Light ISO	3702	796
	Report a correction	Report a correction