Sony nex 5n

B

bobsbabes

Suspended / Banned
Messages
501
Name
Bob (Well Rachel but prefer Bob!!!!)
Edit My Images
Yes
Does anyone have one of these if so how do you get on with it ?
 
bobsbabes said:
Does anyone have one of these if so how do you get on with it ?
Click to expand...

I have one, absolutely love it. I started off with a NEX-5, thought I needed more, went to a Nikon D5100, then D7000, both superb cameras but sold them to go back to the NEX-5N. I would say it easily matches my D7000 in terms of PQ. I love wide angles so have just bought the 16mm with wide angle adaptor.
Accessing certain modes can be a bit laborious but you can customise buttons for quick access to certain menus and once you get to know the camera it's a breeze.
 
I have just bought one but not sure wether to keep it or not I find when I take a pic it takes ages for the pic to show do you find this ???? By ages its prob only a second but is Putting me off :-(
 
I have one too, I wanted something smaller to carry in the mountains - the D700 gets heavy after a few miles!
I have to admit I have been really surprised with the quality of the images. I haven't really noticed how long it takes to render the image on the screen, but I don't machine-gun shots anyway.
Don't forget that it may take a second or so to see the image on the lcd screen, but if you had a film camera it could be a week or two before you saw the picture!
 
I got the previous generation nex-3 and use it with different manual lenses from film times: canon fd L and Carl Zeiss contax G. As I do not shoot sports I find it a nice compact camera with IQ second to only FF (well, larger formats as well, of course :)).
 
bobsbabes said:
I have just bought one but not sure wether to keep it or not I find when I take a pic it takes ages for the pic to show do you find this ???? By ages its prob only a second but is Putting me off :-(
Click to expand...

What type of SDHC card are you using? I use a class 10 and can't say I've noticed a picture delay, I would say its almost instant.
 
mines a class 10 :( i wonder if its the setting i have it on ? its def not anywhere near instant
 
Just fired off a few more shots and its pretty fast, would say maybe 0.25 of a second at the most. I dont know if shooting Raw or Raw+Jpeg make any difference to how fast the picture's displayed on the LCD. It's never going to be as fast as your DSLR.
 
I have one, only use it with manual lenses. Really need to see what the kit lens is like seeing as I will be relying on it next week.

I also use a class 10 card and it's pretty fast. I know this is stating the obvious but have you formatted the card in the 5n?
 
I bought one recently. Fantastic little camera with an excellent UI. However, reviews led me to expect too much in terms of IQ. I spent a day comparing images from it, a S95 and a GF1 and frankly I couldn't see a huge difference (esp between GF1 and NEX5N) - maybe I need to improve my pixel peeping skills. So, although my heart wanted to keep this sexy camera, my head said it wasn't the huge leap forward that I'd expected and so I returned it after a day.

I've just bought a Fuji X100 and hope that will live up to the extravagant claims made by some.

For me the bottom line is that these cameras don't stand up well to DSLRs in terms of IQ and handling (excepting the fantastic video facilities) and the differences between the various "families" is pretty minimal and improvements very incremental. I can see me hanging on to the GF1 for a while yet (ooh, but what about the GX1!!:))
 
The Nex-5n sensor is pretty much the same as the D7000 and K5 so it at the top when it comes to high ISO and dynamic range. What let’s it down is the lenses which have been rather lacklustre, the new 24mm and 50mm should help it but using manual lenses shows what the sensor is really capable of.
 
Willo said:
The Nex-5n sensor is pretty much the same as the D7000 and K5 so it at the top when it comes to high ISO and dynamic range. What let’s it down is the lenses which have been rather lacklustre, the new 24mm and 50mm should help it but using manual lenses shows what the sensor is really capable of.
Click to expand...

Totally agree 100% with the statement above. Pop a nice MF lens on the front and the NEX cameras really shine!!! I 'should' have a new C3 waiting for me when i get home today just for my MF lenses...whoop!
 
Last edited:
I have a NEX 5n which I bought as I was fed up of waiting for the NEX-7. When the NEX-7 finally arrives I may well move it on, but in the meantime I'm nothing less than absolutely amazed by the quality of the images from this camera. With decent glass it will give many DSLRs a run for their money and probably show up a fair few. The Sony lenses are OK but nothing to write home about - the real strength of this camera is in it's ability to mount other manual lenses. I use mine mostly with My Contax G lenses and the images are outstanding.

I can't say I've noticed any delay at all - the camera is very responsive, but I'm mainly shooting jpegs because the Sony raw software is pants. I'm using a Sony Pro HG Duo memory stick which I think is about as fast as you can currently get so I'd suspect any laggy performance might be down to card choice.
 
I have the older NEX-5 whilst I await a NEX-7, but even the older model I'm impressed by the ease of use, the focus peaking, the ability with an adaptor to take my Leica M lenses and the clean images. I tried the 5n briefly in Jessops and I'd buy one if I didn't have the NEX-5.
 
Thanks all for your help have got it sorted now and officially love my camera :)
 
I can only echo the sentiments above and say that the images from the NEX-5N can be amazing providing you use decent lenses. I've both the Sony 16mm and 18-55mm E-mount lens and they are pretty lacklustre. Put on a Zeiss 50mm f/2 Planar and it's a completely different story.

The low light capability of the 5N is what convinced me to sell my GF1 set-up which until then I'd loved. The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 was a difficult lens to leave behind, but the Sony's sensor is going some way to make up for it!
 
davek said:
For me the bottom line is that these cameras don't stand up well to DSLRs in terms of IQ and handling (excepting the fantastic video facilities) and the differences between the various "families" is pretty minimal and improvements very incremental. I can see me hanging on to the GF1 for a while yet (ooh, but what about the GX1!!:))
Click to expand...

Apparently there's little difference between the latest gen m43 sensors (GX1) and the current APS-C sensors in the NEX bodies so, yes, suspect it'd be pretty hard to spot in real world tests.

I did read they are pretty much on par with entry level DSLRs now - Nikon D3100 or Canon EOS 550D etc, have you found otherwise? I always thought the only way to get considerably better IQ from a mirror less system would be to buy a mid range or FF DSLR..
 
I picked up a 5N yesterday, had a nightmare trying to find one as everywhere in Auckland is sold out and are expecting 3 months for a restock!

Amazing low light pics from it, seriously impressed, but I've got that dam click on it! Can here it when you move the camera around even powered off, so as nowhere has any stock to replace, I have to warranty repair it already :(
 
AndyR said:
I picked up a 5N yesterday, had a nightmare trying to find one as everywhere in Auckland is sold out and are expecting 3 months for a restock!

Amazing low light pics from it, seriously impressed, but I've got that dam click on it! Can here it when you move the camera around even powered off, so as nowhere has any stock to replace, I have to warranty repair it already :(
Click to expand...

That's a bit of a b****r! I think the 5N is in short supply everywhere due to the Thailand flooding.

What's this click thing then Andy - is it a known issue?
 
Got one winging its way to me,had a play with one in Jessops,quite liked the feel of it.
Looking forward to taking it out for a spin :)
 
CT said:
That's a bit of a b****r! I think the 5N is in short supply everywhere due to the Thailand flooding.

What's this click thing then Andy - is it a known issue?
Click to expand...

Yeah its a known issue which affects some models. This is the notice Sony put out about it - http://www.sony.co.nz/support/announcement/474149/product/nex-5n

I think it is something to do with the motion sensor in the camera. When you pan up/down or side/side quickly when filming the camera picks up a clicking noise. If you do it slowly you don't notice it, but also if you rattle the camera when powered off you can hear a slight click as if something is loose. A post on dpreview said it was something to do with a motion sensor needing tightening or lubricating. Not all models are affected, but the ones that do have it Sony let you send it in under warranty to have it sorted.

I was kinda hoping mine would be OK as I have a newborn on the way next month so want it OK by then. Would have tried swapping it but what with the floods and all no one has them.

Apart from that that, so far I'm really impressed by it! Only tried indoor shots at the moment as the weather is crap but quality for such a small camera, and in such low light is amazing!! Easily as good on full auto as my A200 was, and from a P&S perspective for someone who doesn't like to fiddle with settings like my wife, some of the creative modes like handheld twilight and panorama are brilliant. Looking forward to testing it out on a sunny day now.
 
I have now bought the 18-200 lens which is fantastic only down side is i now want a flash extender and cant find one :(
 
bobsbabes said:
I have now bought the 18-200 lens which is fantastic only down side is i now want a flash extender and cant find one :(
Click to expand...

An extender for the little accessory flash that comes with the camera? Is there any such animal?

Shouldn't be too difficult to codge something up yourself which will do the job - but it's not the most powerful of flashes to start with.
 
Got mine today and it's a little cracker. Looks like the high ISP performance beats my 7d and the kit lens, whilst not great, does an adequate job. Just waiting for my Leica M adaptor now!
 
menthel said:
Got mine today and it's a little cracker. Looks like the high ISP performance beats my 7d and the kit lens, whilst not great, does an adequate job. Just waiting for my Leica M adaptor now!
Click to expand...

LOL. Well, done Jim - it's amazing isn't it? DP Review state that the NEX-7 has the best APS-C sensor currently on the market which is quite some statement when you think about that! Given that the NEX-5N has basically the same sensor with less pixels it should be a slightly better noise performer than the NEX-7.
 
Had my nex 5 fora little while now. I love it. No probs with shots being re displayed I use a Sandisk 10 card. Take it with me everywhere.
 
CT said:
LOL. Well, done Jim - it's amazing isn't it? DP Review state that the NEX-7 has the best APS-C sensor currently on the market which is quite some statement when you think about that! Given that the NEX-5N has basically the same sensor with less pixels it should be a slightly better noise performer than the NEX-7.
Click to expand...

I've seen a couple of reviews/tests that seem to suggest that if you downsize the 24mp NEX-7 image to 16mp, there's no real difference (noise-wise) to the 5N. If true, that's pretty amazing.
 
However you look at it it's now making the 7D sensor look rather poor in comparison! Lovely little camera though and the ergonomics are rather nice.
 
CT said:
LOL. DP Review state that the NEX-7 has the best APS-C sensor currently on the market which is quite some statement when you think about that!
Click to expand...
what's even more amazing is that it's the same sensor as the A77 which they thought that the high ISO was disappointing on - have we really got so critical that 1/2 a stop (the amount that the SLT loses) makes the difference between class-leading & disappointing? :thinking:
 
Would be interested to hear if anyone has done a comparison between the original NEX 5 and the 5N
 
daveproctor said:
Would be interested to hear if anyone has done a comparison between the original NEX 5 and the 5N
Click to expand...

I don't have a link to hand (on a phone at the moment) but Steve Huff's review of the 5N included some comparisons with the previous model.
 
If anyone does need the flash extention its sold as a spare part but .....dh emailed sony and they are sending one out foc :)
 
bobsbabes said:
If anyone does need the flash extention its sold as a spare part but .....dh emailed sony and they are sending one out foc :)
Click to expand...


Ah right - it's not an extender in the conventional sense - (one which just channels the flash beam for greater range) but an accessory which goes under the flash, raising it high enough to not cast a shadow from the lenses.

http://sonyalphanex.blogspot.com/2010/09/sony-nex-fa-ex1s-flash-extender-with.html

Useful nonetheless and well done on finding this out. :thumbs:
 
yes although the flash doesnt fit very well so hoping that it fits better too
mind it didnt help that the sony shop in Shrewsbury said that they didnt make one !!!!!
 
Had a NEX-5n since early December. Mine originally came with the clicking problem so it was RMA'd back to Sony within 24 hours of it coming out of the packaging. All credit to Sony though, they got it back in just over a week. Now the problem is non-existent.

Its replaced a Canon G12 as my every-day carry-round camera. Needed something that would take RAW and I was fed up of having a fixed lens. Shooting with a full DSLR tends make you want more from every camera ;)
 
Quick update on mine. Sent it for repair with Sony and got it back 3 days later and the click has totally disapeared! Sony did say they would cover the shipping if I took it back to the store I got it, but the store would only ship it to one service center who told me 8 weeks repair time, while another service center was saying 3 days. So I shipped it myself ($5) and got it back on 3 days.

Love this camera, especially the little 16mm lens. Didn't think I'd like the 16mm that much and only got it because the twin kit was only $150 more than the single kit, while the 16mm lens on its own was selling for $700, but for us its become the main lens. Love the NEX-5N and currently selling all my DSLR kit as the 5N is already coming out way more than the A200 ever did.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top