Sony's NEX range of compact mirror-less
cameras have been acknowledged as among the best in this segment. So when we
got our hands on the new NEX 5R it had a lot of expectations to live up to.
However, after a week of use we were convinced that if anyone has decided to
buy a compact system camera we wouldn't have any qualms on recommending this
one.
Sony's
NEX range of compact mirrorless cameras have been acknowledged as among the
best in this segment
To start with, the 5R is a great piece of
hardware. It is easy to hold and does not feel unbalanced, even with a 55-200mm
lens attached to it. Then it comes with a tiltable LCD screen, which, while
letting you shoot at different angles, also lets you compose frames under the
harsh Indian sun. Yes, there is a touchscreen, which though a bit laggy felt
much better than the others because it is not limited to certain parts of the
screen. Then there is a very robust lens ecosystem which is comparable with the
Lumix range.
There
is a touchscreen, which though a bit laggy felt much better than the others
because it is not limited to certain parts of the screen.
The body looks and feels a lot like a cyber-shot,
except for the e-mount which protrudes out. There is no flash here, only a port
where you can yoke the attachment. There are two dials one for the thumb and the
other for the trigger finger that take care of most of the controls. Unlike
others cameras of the kind, you can adjust most of the specs with these two and
don't need to press the Fn buttons for this.
There is no Mode dial, but the same is available
on the screen all the time and can be adjusted with either of the dials, adding
to your ease-of-use.
The
body looks and feels a lot like a Cyber-shot, except for the e-mount which
protrudes out
We tested the camera with the 16-50mm lens
that comes in the kit and a 55-21 Omm zoom lens. The autofocus worked
wonderfully well on both occasions. Plus, you can use the touchscreen to
pinpoint the area that you want to focus. Since there in no viewfinder on this
camera, you will need to use this quite often.
What impressed us most was the picture
quality of this 16MM APS-C sensor. We shot a pigeon using the far end of the
zoom lens and results almost had us spell bound.
The details in the part that we blew up
would have put any pro-quality DSLR to shame. Similarly, we doubt if there are
any compact cameras that will give you a clearer picture of the craters of the
moon. This picture quality is also due to the prowess of the optical steady
shot range of lenses.
This
is a very affordable camera
This sensor-lens combinations also makes
this a great video device. We doubt if there are other compact cameras that let
you change shutter speed or aperture so easily even as you are recording a Full
HD video. We did this and much more, all the while shooting with the 210mm
lens. Plus, there is Wi-Fi connectivity though it is not very easy to
configure.
The NEX 5R is one camera that will leave
you satisfied every time you pick it up and that is why we think this is the
best compact mirror-less camera we have tested this year. It is also hard to
overlook the fact that despite its capabilities, this is a very affordable
camera.
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Specifications
§ Price:
$647
§ 16.1MP
CMOS sensor
§ ISO
100-25600
§ Top-plate
control dial
§ Dedicated
Fn button
§ Wi-Fi
for connection via Wi-Fi networks or to smartphones
§ Proprietary
in-camera apps
§ Touch-screen
display
§ Electronic
First Curtain shutter
§ 1080p
60p HD movies in AVCHD (50p on PAL region models)
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