Introduction

To read our full in-depth review of the Sony NEX-5N, please go here.
For our full review of the Sony NEX-5 from 2010, please go here.

Section 1 Title

Performance

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In raw performance, the NEX-5N's 16-megapixel sensor runs laps around the older Sony NEX-5 image sensor. This isn't a major surprise: the 5N's sensor is reported to be the same that is found in high-end cameras like the Nikon D5100, Pentax K-5, and Sony A55, three of our top-performing cameras.

From a usability standpoint the biggest change is actually the camera's responsiveness. The NEX-5N shoots much faster (10fps against 7.07fps on the NEX-5), with an electronic first curtain shutter that begins taking an exposure sooner than an all-mechanical shutter.

The result is a camera that shoots faster, responds to your wishes with alacrity, offers better color accuracy, greater dynamic range, and better noise performance across the board. Some sequels fail to live up to the original, but the NEX-5N improves on the NEX-5 in nearly every way possible.

Winner: NEX-5N

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Design

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With their NEX line of mirrorless compact cameras, Sony has set out with clear design principles in mind: industrial, modern, simple, adaptable bodies. The NEX-5N is in no way a referendum on those ideas, with a physical design that is almost identical to the original NEX-5. The 5N does benefit from the addition of touchscreen capability, but the user interface on the NEX-5 has always seemed as though it was intended for touch control, so that may have been Sony's intention all along.

For those unfamiliar with the NEX-5, the NEX-5N utilizes an adaptable control scheme, with just two soft keys on the back of the camera accompanying the rear control dial, which can be pressed in any of four directions and has another soft key in the center. The keys are mostly unlabeled, with the two main soft keys on the back of the camera having their function called out on the rear LCD itself. This lets Sony—and in certain cases, the user—change the function of these keys without having to worry about giving the key multiple labels separated by slashes.

There's simply not much different in the design of the NEX-5N, with the exception of more customization. Our biggest complaint is the fact that there's not much of a quick menu for the user to pull up. The only equivalent is the "custom" menu, which the user can use to house ISO, white balance, exposure, and color settings. It would be simpler if this was just included in a standard column of options that can be brought up at any time, though, rather than making the user to the legwork in making their own.

Winner: NEX-5N, though the differences are so minor that few would be able to tell the difference between the cameras.

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Conclusion

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In the end, there's really very little comparison between the NEX-5 and the NEX-5N. Does that make the NEX-5 a bad camera? Of course not, the NEX-5 still shoots at a very quick 7fps (faster than most cameras of its ilk and almost twice as fast as many comparably-priced DSLRs), has great dynamic range results, and low noise totals. If you've got a perfectly functional NEX-5, it's probably not worth the price to upgrade to an NEX-5N—the NEX-7 may be more up your alley—but we can say without reservation that the NEX-5N is by far the better of the two cameras.

Winner: NEX-5N, unequivocally a superior camera to its predecessor in every way.

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