Sony Alpha NEX-5N

In summary

The NEX-5N sits between the NEX-C3 and NEX-7 in Sony’s Alpha series of E-mount cameras and has features common to both. Its sensor has similar resolution to the NEX-C3’s, and is higher than the NEX-5 it replaces, but it supports the same movie recording formats and resolutions as the NEX-7. The NEX-7’s Picture Effect settings carry over to the NEX-5N but the Creative Style settings are the same as the NEX-C3’s.

Full review

The NEX-5N sits between the NEX-C3 and NEX-7 in Sony’s Alpha series of E-mount cameras and has features common to both. Its sensor has similar resolution to the NEX-C3’s, and is higher than the NEX-5 it replaces, but it supports the same movie recording formats and resolutions as the NEX-7. The NEX-7’s Picture Effect settings carry over to the NEX-5N but the Creative Style settings are the same as the NEX-C3’s.

Weight-wise, the NEX-5N is the lightest of the three cameras, although its size reflects its position in the line-up. The user interface resembles the NEX-C3’s but includes a touch screen a bit like the NEX-7’s.

Other features shared with the NEX-7 include the electronic first-curtain shutter setting for minimising shutter lag and in-built correction of  lateral chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion, each of which can be turned on or off. The optional FDA-EV1S electronic viewfinder  can be plugged into the Smart Accessory Terminal on the NEX-5N. The table below shows the similarities and differences in the specifications of the three models.

	NEX-7	NEX-5N	NEX-C3
Effective resolution	24.3MP	16.1MP	16.2MP
Image sizes	L: 6000 x 4000, M: 4240 x 2832, S: 3008 x 2000	L: 4912 x 3264, M: 3568 x 2368, S: 2448 x 1624
Video formats	AVCHD / MP4		MP4
Video size	1920 x 1080,  1440 x 1080, 640 x 480		1280 x 720, 640 x 480
Picture Effects	Posterisation (Colour, B/W), Pop Colour, Retro Photo, Partial Colour (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Mono, Miniature		Posterisation (Colour, B/W), Pop Colour, Retro Photo, High-key, High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Partial Colour (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green)
Creative Styles	Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn Leaves, B/W, Sepia	Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W
White balance	Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, C. Temp 2500 to 9900K, C. Filter (G7 to M7 15-step, A7 to B7 15-step), Custom, WB fine adjustment		Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, C. temp./Filter (2500- 9900K with 19-step Magenta/Green compensation)
ISO range	AUTO (ISO 100-1600), ISO 100 to 16000 selectable	AUTO (ISO 100-3200), ISO 100 to 25600 selectable	AUTO (ISO 200-1600), ISO 200 to 12800 selectable
Exposure compensation	+/- 5EV (in 0.3EV steps)	+/- 3EV (in 0.3EV steps)	+/- 2EV (in 0.3EV steps)
Continuous shooting	Max. 3 fps; 10 fps in speed priority mode		2.5 fps; 5.5 fps in speed priority mode
Buffer capacity	JPEG Fine: 17, Standard: 18, RAW: 13, RAW+JPEG: 11	JPEG Fine: 10, Standard: 10, RAW: 6, RAW+JPEG: 4	JPEG Fine: 14, Standard: 18, RAW: 6, RAW+JPEG: 6
Flash	Built-in, GN 6	External (supplied), GN 7
Touch screen	Yes		No
Battery/capacity	NP-FW50/430 shots	NP-FW50/430 shots	NP-FW50/400 shots
Dimensions (wxhxd)	119.9 x 66.9 x 42.6 mm	110.8 x 58.8 x 38.2 mm	109.6 x 60.0 x 33.0 mm
Body weight	Approx. 291 grams	Approx. 210 grams	Approx. 225 grams
RRP (body only)	$1499	$799	$749

Build and Ergonomics
The NEX-5N retains the basic design that has characterised the range since its inception and superficially little has changed in the body design since the NEX-5 which we reviewed in June 2010. The illustrations below show the NEX-5N above with the NEX-5 below for comparison.

The magnesium alloy chassis remains but the grip on the new model is slightly deeper and has smoother texturing. The button controls are essentially the same as the NEX-5’s with the most noteworthy additions being the touch-screen on the LCD monitor  and support for the LA-EA1 adaptor that enables Sony’s A-mount lenses to be fitted.

The screen is the same size as the NEX-5’s monitor and pulls out and tilts up through approximately 80 degrees and down through about 45 degrees. The touch functions supplement the menu functions, rather than replacing them but they aren’t as slick as the screens on Panasonic’s latest G-Micro cameras.

The rechargeable battery and memory card share a compartment in the camera’s base under the grip. A metal-lined tripod socket is located on the lens axis in the base plate. USB and HDMI ports sit astride the left hand strap eyelet, covered by lift-up hatches.

Like the NEX 5 (and also the NEX-C3) the NEX-5N comes with a small flashgun that clips into the Smart Accessory Terminal just behind the lens mount. Its GN of 7 (metres at ISO 100)  is fairly low but it covers a wide enough angle of view to be usable with lenses out to 16mm. We covered this flash in our review of the NEX-3.

The Smart Accessory port can only hold one accessory at a time, forcing you to choose between the flash, one of the optional viewfinders (FDAEV1S or FDASV1) and the stereo microphone (ECMSST1). A mounting bracket (VCT55LH) is available to enable you to accommodate one extra accessory.

Controls
Like the NEX-7, the NEX-5N lacks an external mode dial, forcing users to the menu system, which hasn’t changed much since the first model. A lot of button pressing is required to change almost all camera settings, even when using the touch controls.

When the camera is first switched on, a line of ‘soft keys’ is displayed along the right side of the monitor, with adjacent buttons on the camera body handling the same functions. These soft keys have different roles, depending on other camera settings.

Pressing the top key opens a Menu screen with six sub-menus: Shoot Mode, Camera, Image Size, Brightness/Colour, Playback and Setup. The contents of each sub-menu are essentially the same as in the NEX 5, which we reviewed in June 2010.

The NEX-5N’s touch screen provides an alternative way to adjust camera controls. You can select items by touching an icon on the screen and scroll through a sub-menu by sliding your finger up or down the screen.  Items hidden in the list can be selected via the arrow pad or by touch. In playback mode, you can scroll though images by either rotating the control wheel or sliding your finger across the screen.

You can assign functions to the middle and bottom keys to make it easier to access frequently-used settings. The default setting for the bottom key is shooting tips. However, given the complexity of changing settings and some inconsistencies between the keys, we feel most users won’t bother.

Some functions have been carried over from the feature-rich NEX-7, which we reviewed in October 2011. Among them is the electronic first curtain setting, which was introduced in the SLT-A77. Designed to reduce capture lag for live view shooting, it also minimises the effect of vibration from a mechanical shutter. The NEX-5N also provides three levels of high-ISO noise reduction for exposures longer than one second, just like the NEX-7.

The autofocusing system is similar to the NEX-7’s with 25 selectable sensor points and  a flexible point that can be moved within an 11 x 17 point grid. Single-servo and continuous AF modes are available and face detection and object tracking can be switched on and off. The built-in LED AF-assist lamp for focusing in low light levels has a range of up to three metres with the 18-55mm kit lens.

DMF (Direct Manual Focus), which provides manual fine-tuning of focus after autofocusing, is supported. In this mode, the camera surrenders the mechanical focus lock while the shutter button is half-pressed. This allows direct manual control of the focus via the focusing ring on the lens. Turning the focusing ring moves the plane of focus backwards or forwards.

The DMF mode includes the peaking display introduced with the NEX-C3 and allows fine adjustments to be made to the focus after autofocusing. In manual focus mode, users can choose one of two magnification levels: 5.9x or 11.7x to fine-tune sharpness.

Touch focusing is supported in AF and DMF modes but focusing isn’t particularly fast with this system.  Unfortunately, the NEX-5N lacks the touch shutter provided in Panasonic’s GF3 and GX1 cameras, which is a very desirable feature in a camera of this type.

The DMF mode includes the peaking display introduced with the NEX-C3 and allows fine adjustments to be made to the focus after autofocusing. In manual focus mode, users can choose one of two magnification levels: 5.9x or 11.7x to fine-tune sharpness.

Corrections for vignetting (corner darkening), lateral chromatic aberration and distortion are provided via the NEX-5N’s menu, although adjustments are only applied to JPEG files and, as far as we can determine, only for Sony’s lenses. The extended range of Picture Effects replicates those in the NEX-7, although they’re only available in the P, A, S and M modes and for JPEG files.

The NEX-5N has the widest ISO range of the three models,  encompassing ISO 100 to ISO 25600 with an auto range spanning ISO 100-3200. Multi-shot modes, such as Hand-held Twilight, Anti Motion Blur and the standard and 3D Sweep Panorama settings are the same as in the NEX-7. However, the NEX-5N misses out on the NEX-7’s dual-axis level gauge display.

Sensor and Image Processing
The 23.5 x 15.6 mm EXMOR CMOS sensor in the NEX-5N has similar specifications to the sensor in the NEX-C3 and produces the same image sizes.  The sensor is coupled to the latest BIONZ image processor, which underpins all camera functions.

As in Sony’s recent DSLRs, the low-pass filter in front of the sensor is coated with a dust-repelling layer and the filter is vibrated each time the camera is turned on or off. These features are vital because the sensor is exposed each time a lens is removed. Like the NEX-7, the NEX-5N uses ultrasonic vibration instead of the electromagnetic vibration used in the NEX-C3.

Despite restricting the sensitivity range of the NEX-C3 to between ISO 200 and ISO 12800, Sony has enabled the NEX-5N to support an extended range from ISO 100 to ISO 25600. Like other Sony Alpha cameras, the NEX-5N can record images as JPEG or ARW.RAW files. Two compression levels are provided for the former, while the latter can be captured with or without a large JPEG file.

Raw files are compressed losslessly and the image is fixed at 4912 x 3264 pixels. The format used in the NEX-5N is ARW 2.2, which is the same as in the NEX-C3 but different from the ARW 2.3  format used in the NEX-7.

Two aspect ratios are selectable via the menu system: the normal 3:2 or widescreen 16:9. When raw files are recorded in widescreen mode, the longer sides of the image appear to be cropped, although the file size remains at 4912 x 3264 pixels (3:2 aspect ratio). The cropped areas are shown in black. Typical image sizes for the still capture modes are shown in the table below.

Image size	Pixels	Aspect ratio	Approx. File size
			Fine	Standard
Raw	4912 x 3264	3:2	18.96MB	n.a.
RAW+JPEG	4912 x 3264		25.6MB	n.a.
L: 16M	4912 x 3264		6.92MB	4.97MB
M: 8.4M	3568 x 2368		4.70MB	3.53MB
S: 4M	2448 x 1624		2.06MB	1.54MB
L: 14M	4912 x 2760	16:9	6.17MB	4.49MB
M: 7.1M	3568 x 2000		4.23MB	3.26MB
S: 3.4M	2448 x 1376		1.76MB	1.31MB
Panorama (Standard mode, Horizontal)	8192 x 1856	4.4:1 (approx.)	6.24MB
Panorama (Standard mode, Vertical)	3872 x 2160	1.8:1 (approx.)	4.34MB
Panorama (Wide mode, Horizontal)	12,416 x 1856	6.7:1 (approx.)	8.98MB
Panorama (Wide mode, Vertical)	5536 x 2160	2.56:1 (approx.)	5.33MB
3D Panorama (Standard mode)	4912 x 1080	4.55:1 (approx.)	7.53MB
3D Panorama(Wide mode)	7152 x 1080	6.62:1 (approx.)	9.85MB

Although there’s not much information on shooting movies in either the User Manual or the slightly more comprehensive Handbook, the NEX-5N appears to have the same video capabilities as the NEX-7. It supports Full HD (1920 x 1080-pixel) recording with the ability to capture 50 interlaced frames off the sensor for PAL system TV viewing (60 frames for NTSC).

There are also three progressive scanning settings available. Full HD recordings are made using AVCHD Version 2.0 compression, with Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio recording. Two resolutions are provided for shooting movies in MP4 format (with H.264 compression), as shown in the table below.      

Video format	Movie Quality	Resolution	Bit rate	Recording capacity 8GB card
AVCHD 50i	24M (FX)	1920 x 1080	24 Mbps.	40 minutes
	17M (FH)		17 Mbps.	one hour
50p	28M (PS)		28 Mbps	30 minutes
25p	24M (FX)		24 Mbps.	40 minutes
	17M (FH)		17 Mbps	one hour
MP4 at 30 fps	12M	1440 x 1080	12 Mbps.	one hour 20 minutes
	3M	640 x 480	3 Mbps.	4 hours 55 minutes

The NEX-5N uses Variable Bit Rate (VBR) recording technology, which automatically adjusts image quality depending on the scene. Recording times are reduced for fast-moving subjects because more memory is required to maintain image sharpness. (The above recording times represent rough averages.)

Movie clips are restricted to approximately 29 minutes, with the maximum size for an MP4 movie limited to roughly 2GB. As with the NEX-5, shooting video clips is only possible with auto exposure and the camera restricts the range of adjustments you can make.

Like the NEX-7, the NEX-5N allows movies to be recorded in the P, A, S or M shooting modes, providing more control over exposure parameters than the NEX-C3. Tracking AF is available for keeping focus on moving subjects and you can use the touch screen to zoom slowly in and out while recording.

All the Creative Style settings can be applied to movie clips and some Picture Effect modes are available. Manual focusing is also possible but focus-assist magnification isn’t available. However, unlike the NEX-7, there’s no stereo microphone jack.

Playback and Software
Nothing much has changed since the NEX-5 and details are available in that review. Unfortunately, no software was provided with the review camera so we had to search online to locate the user manual and more detailed handbook for the camera. (There’s not much difference between them, although the Handbook’s illustrations are a bit more ‘polished’.)

By the time we received the review camera, Adobe had included support for raw files from this camera in its Camera Raw 6.6 update. It’s available as a free plug-in for the latest versions of Photoshop (CS5) and Photoshop Elements from http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/.

The Kit Lens & Flash
The NEX-5N we reviewed was supplied with the E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (SEL1855) zoom lens, which we covered in our review of the NEX-5. The lens parameters haven’t changed since that review was published so we will include the results of our Imatest testing in the Performance section below.

Also supplied with the review camera (and included in both single- and twin-lens kits) was the HVL-F7S flash. We covered this flash in our review of the NEX-3.

Performance
Subjective assessments of image files from the review camera show them to have natural-looking colours under most types of available lighting. Even traditionally difficult-to-record blues and purples were handled very well, as shown in the sample images below.

Imatest showed saturation to be slightly elevated, particularly with warmer hues and more so in JPEGs than raw files. In JPEG files red saturation was boosted the most while raw files had slightly boosted saturation from yellow through to magenta.

Exposure metering was more centred than we found with the NEX-7 and accurate in most situations. Few corrections required when the default Multi-pattern mode was used. The D-Range Optimiser was effective in preventing highlight blow-out with moderate backlighting and shadows retained detail with minimal noise.

Autofocusing performance was similar to the NEX-C3 and not quite as fast as we found in Panasonic’s G-Micro cameras. However, it was accurate enough to do the job and focus tracking appeared smooth and consistent. Low-light autofocusing was slightly better than average.

Imatest showed the review camera to be capable of high resolution and both JPEG and ARW.RAW files exceeded expectations with some camera settings. As expected, resolution declined gradually as sensitivity was increased,  although image noise only became visible in test shots at ISO 6400 and it was mainly the granularity of luminance noise.

Short exposures at ISO 12,800 and ISO 25,600 had surprisingly low noise levels. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests on JPEG and ARW.RAW files.

Flash exposures were uniform in brightness and contrast between ISO 400 and ISO 6400. Exposures appear to be locked at 1/60 second up to ISO 3200 and increased incrementally to 1/160 second at ISO 25,600. From ISO 6400 we had to apply -1.0EV of exposure compensation to adjust for over-exposure.

By ISO 12,800 shots were over-exposed by two stops, reaching three-stop over-exposure at ISO 25,600, with a 1/160 second exposure. Test shots were slightly flat and soft at this point but better than the ISO 12,800 flash shots from the NEX-C3.

The kit lens, which we covered in our review of the NEX-5, is an adequate, but not stellar,  performer. We obtained the  best performance in the middle of its focal length range and at apertures between f/4.5 and f/6.3. Slight edge softening was detected at most aperture settings but reduced as the lens was stopped down. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.

Lateral chromatic aberration was mostly negligible and we found no evidence of coloured fringing in test shots. In the graph of our Imatest results below, the red line marks the border between ø¢â‚¬Ëœnegligible’ and ø¢â‚¬Ëœlow’ CA.

Digital zoom shots were slightly soft and a little flat but could be printed at snapshot size. Backlit subjects were generally handled well although subjects with wide brightness ranged proved challenging for the D-Range Optimiser, even at its maximum compensation setting.

The camera’s close-up capabilities are limited by the focusing range of the lens. The kit lens can’t focus closer than 25 cm but Sony’s SEL30M35 macro lens will focus to 95 mm.

Auto white balance performance was similar to the NEX-C3. The review camera failed to remove the colour cast of incandescent but came close with fluorescent lighting. Both pre-sets tended towards over-correction, the Incandescent adding a strong blue bias, while the Fluorescent preset biased colours towards cyan. Manual measurement was required to obtain truly neutral colour rendition. 

Video quality was good, particularly in the Full HD (1080 pixels) modes. The AF system responded quite quickly to changes in focal length, although focusing and zooming weren’t always smooth, despite the benefits of the wide zoom ring on the lens and effective image stabilisation.

Soundtracks were often patchy and affected by camera movements (zooming, panning and slight camera shake), all of which produced noise in recordings. In clear sections of recordings, the stereo presence was slightly above average for a compact camera. The wind cut filter worked reasonably well in normal conditions but was unable to prevent some interference from wind noise in strong and gusty conditions.

Our timing tests were carried out with a 32GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC U1 card, which was formatted in the camera and is among the fastest available. The review camera took just over a second to power-up ready for shooting. Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.8 seconds, while capture lag was constant at 0.2 seconds but eliminated by pre-focusing.

Because no indicator light is provided, we were unable to measure image processing times accurately. However, the camera appeared to take roughly 2.3 seconds to process each JPEG file, 2.6 seconds for each ARW.RAW file and 2.9 seconds for a RAW+JPEG pair.

With the normal continuous shooting mode, the review camera captured 10 Fine JPEGs in 2.9 seconds. The buffer memory was able to accommodate eight raw files but only six RAW+JPEG pairs. In both cases, the frame rate was approximately three frames/second. It took five seconds to process the burst of raw files and 5.3 seconds for the RAW+JPEG pairs.

When we switched to the Speed Priority Continuous mode, 11 JPEGs were captured in 1.4 seconds, while bursts of eight raw files were recorded in 1.3 seconds and took 5.3 seconds to process. Only six RAW+JPEG pairs could be recorded before the capture rate slowed noticeably after half a second. It took 5.1 seconds to process this burst.

Conclusion
The review camera had obviously ‘been round the block a couple of times ‘ before it landed on Photo Review’s desk. The supplied lens showed some dents on the ribbing of the zoom ring; the front element of the lens was fingermarked and there was dust in the filter threading.

The monitor screen was also grease-marked and, when we attached the flash, it only worked when we held it down with a finger tip, indicating probable problems with the contacts. Aside from other traces of extended use, however, the rest of the camera and lens bodies appeared sound. But, because of this damage, we’ve down-graded the rating for build quality we gave to the NEX-C3 (which was brand new when we reviewed it) for this model and feel the same rating should also apply to the entry-level camera.

Otherwise, even though the NEX-5N’s touch screen controls aren’t as well implemented or comprehensive as those in Panasonic’s G-Micro cameras, it should appeal to digicam users who wish to move up to a more capable camera with better performance (particularly in low light). Those looking for a pocketable camera should probably look elsewhere as the NEX-5N requires a very large coat pocket to accommodate it with the 18-55mm kit lens attached.

Buy this camera if:
– You’re looking for a compact, large-sensor interchangeable-lens camera with PASM shooting modes plus support for raw file capture, 3D panoramas and HD video recording. 
– You like touch screen controls.
– You prefer shooting with automated exposure control settings.
– You would enjoy the multi-shot modes this camera provides.

Don’t buy this camera if:
– You want a pocketable camera.
– You prefer an optical viewfinder and built-in flash.
– You require high burst capacity at high resolution.

IMATEST GRAPHS
JPEG images

ARW.RAW images converted with Adobe Camera Raw.

SAMPLE IMAGES

Specifications

Image sensor: 23.5 x 15.6 mm ‘Exmor’ APS HD CMOS sensor with 16.7 million photosites (16.1 megapixels effective)
Image processor:  BIONZ
A/D processing: 12-bit
Lens mount: Sony E-mount
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Digital zoom: 1.1x to 10x
Image formats: Stills – ARW.RAW, JPEG (Exif 2.0), RAW+JPEG; 3D stills –  MPO (MPF Extended stereovision) compliant; Movies – AVCHD Ver.2.0 (Progressive) / MP4
Image Sizes: Stills – 3:2 aspect: 4912 x 3264, 3568 x 2368, 2448 x 1624; 16:9 aspect: 4912 x 2760, 3568 x 2000, 2448 x 1376; Sweep Panorama: Wide/ horizontal 12416 x 1856, vertical 5536 x 2160, standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856, vertical 3872 x 2160; 3D Sweep Panorama: Wide: 7152 x 1080, Standard: 4912 x 1080, 1920 x 1080; Movies: AVCHD: 1980 x 1080 (50p / 28Mbps, 50i / 24Mbps, 50i /17Mbps, 25p 24Mbps, 25p / 17Mbps), MP4: 1440 x 1080 (25fps / 12Mbps), VGA: 640 x 480 (25fps / 3Mbps)
Image Stabilisation: Lens based
Dust removal: Charge protection coating on optical filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism
Shutter speed range: 1/4000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb; flash synch at 1/160 second
Exposure Compensation: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
Exposure bracketing: 3 continuous exposures, in 0.3 or 0.7EV steps
Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay plus Continuous with 10 sec delay, 3/5 exposures selectable
Focus system: Contrast-detection AF with 25 points; Multi Point (25 points) / Centre-weighted / Flexible Spot selectable; Built-in LED illuminator
Focus modes: Autofocus, DMF (Direct Manual Focus), Manual Focus; AF-S, AF-C, Multi (25 points), centre and flexible spot selection;  Face Detection (up to 8 faces), Smile shutter, Tracking focus, Predictive control, Focus lock,  Built-in AF illuminator
Exposure metering: 1200-zone evaluative metering with Multi-segment, Centre-weighted and Spot modes
Shooting modes: iAUTO, Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter priority (S), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama, 3D Sweep Panorama, Anti Motion Blur, Scene Selection (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports action, Sunset, Night portrait, Night view, Hand-held Twilight)
Picture Effect settings: 11 modes (15 effects): Posterisation (Colour, B/W), Pop Colour, Retro Photo, Partial Colour (R,G,B,Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature
Creative Style settings: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn leaves, B/W with +/- 3 steps of contrast, saturation and sharpness adjustments
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Dynamic Range Functions: Off, Dynamic Range Optimiser (Auto/Level), Auto High
Dynamic Range  (Auto Exposure Difference, Adjustable Exposure difference up to 6EV between 1.0-6.0EV in 1EV steps)
ISO range: Auto (ISO 100-3200), ISO 100 to 25600 selectable in 1 EV steps
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, C. Temp 2500 to 9900K, C Filter G7 to M7 A7 to B7, 15-step, Custom
Flash: External flash (supplied), GN 7 (in meters at ISO100), coverage to 16mm lens
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 2EV in 1/3 EV steps
Sequence shooting: Continuous mode: max. 3 fps, Speed-priority continuous mode: max 10 fps for up to 10 JPEGs, 6 ARW.RAW files or 4 RAW+JPEG pairs
Storage Media: Memory Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo; SD/SDHC/SDXC/UHS-I (single slot)
Viewfinder: No
LCD monitor: Tilting 3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCD with TruBlack technology and 921,600 dot resolution
Playback functions: Single-frame, Index (4 or 9 frames), Enlarge (7.3x  to 14x), Slideshow, Picture rotation (auto mode available), Histogram (independent luminance/RGB available), highlight/shadow warning, shooting information
Interface terminals: USO 2.0, HDMI (Type C Mini), Smart Accessory Terminal,  Bravia synch
Power supply: NP-FW50 rechargeable lithium-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 430 shots/charge
Dimensions (wxhxd): 110.8 x 58.8 x 38.2mm (without protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 210 grams (body only); 269 grams with battery and card

Rating

RRP: $949 (as reviewed with 18-55mm lens)

Rating (out of 10):

• Build: 8.2
• Ease of use: 8.2
• Autofocusing: 8.2
• Still image quality JPEG: 8.5
• Still image quality RAW: 8.5
• Video quality: 8.3