Sony NEX-5 review

Can Sony's compact DSLR create a shift in high-end consumer photography?

Reviews
By
published
Sony NEX-5
Sony's NEX-5 brings a big DSLR sensor to a compact body

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

We tested the Sony NEX-5 at every ISO setting. Here are the results:

ISO 200:

200

See full-res image

ISO 400:

400

See full-res image

ISO 800:

800

See full-res image

ISO 1600:

1600

See full-res image

ISO 3200:

3200

See full-res image

ISO 6400:

6400

See full-res image

ISO 12800:

12800

See full-res image

Dave Stevenson

Dave is a professional photographer whose work has appeared everywhere from National Geographic to the Guardian. Along the way he’s been commissioned to shoot zoo animals, luxury tech, the occasional car, countless headshots and the Northern Lights. As a videographer he’s filmed gorillas, talking heads, corporate events and the occasional penguin. He loves a good gadget but his favourite bit of kit (at the moment) is a Canon EOS T80 35mm film camera he picked up on eBay for £18.

Latest in Compact Cameras
Fujfilm GFX 50R
First Fujifilm GFX100RF images leaked in build-up to expected reveal – here’s what they tell us about the unique premium compact camera
Canon PowerShot V1 in user's hands, oudoors with a snowy Japan backdrop
I review cameras for a living, and the new Canon PowerShot V1 could be this year’s vlogging star – here’s why
Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III
Canon’s rumored PowerShot V1 point-and-shoot could hit the sensor sweet spot – and be first of two new PowerShots for 2025
Flashback ONE35 redisposable digital camera on a wooden surface
I tested the Flashback ONE35 "re-disposable" camera, and it's a novel idea let down by a shoddy app
Canon compact cameras tipped for a big return with rumored Powershot V1 – and I think that's Canon's most exciting play for 2025
Panasonic Lumix TZ99 point and shoot camera on a bright green / cyan background
The point-and-shoot is back: Panasonic launches new Lumix out of the blue, with iPhone-trouncing 30x optical zoom
Latest in Reviews
Tiger Woods and Matt Fitzpatrick on the PGA Tour 2K25 artwork
I’ve spent hours honing my swing in PGA Tour 2K25, and while its shot craft remains excellent, familiar frustrations can’t keep it totally out of the rough
AOC Graphic Pro U32U3CV during our review
I reviewed the AOC Graphic Pro U32U3CV and it's a staggeringly pro-grade monitor for the price
GMKTec AD-GP1
This small eGPU promises to transform OcuLink-equipped machines into creative powerhouses, and after extensive tests, I'm impressed
The cover art of co-op game A Way Out
A Way Out is a gritty co-op game that challenged me to make the right choice in a world full of bad ones
The player characters approach a stuffed animal in It Takes Two.
It Takes Two pushed me to the limit with clever platforming puzzles and moreish co-op challenges
The cover art of co-op game Split Fiction
I rode a dragon, sizzled as a sausage, and won a dance-off with a monkey in Split Fiction, and that’s not even the half of it
An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 resting on an RTX 5090 on a gray crafting mat.

Corsair tells us only one of its prebuilt PCs with an RTX 5000 GPU has suffered from chip-level fault, suggesting it’s as rare as Nvidia claimed
watch back to the future online

Everything new on Prime Video in March 2025

woman sit on couch near laptop take break reduce stress do yoga meditation exercise to calm down self control get rid of negative emotions, bad e-mail, difficult task, problems at work concept

IT industry workers hit badly by burnout, stress - but there's still potential for success
See more latest
Most Popular
GMKTec AD-GP1
This small eGPU promises to transform OcuLink-equipped machines into creative powerhouses, and after extensive tests, I'm impressed
Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 lens
I tested Sony’s longest telephoto zoom lens, and it’s a winner for wildlife photographers
Thermal Master T2 Max
I tested out the Thermal Master T2 Max thermal imaging scope and it's impressive for highlighting heat signatures in the world
Tiger Woods and Matt Fitzpatrick on the PGA Tour 2K25 artwork
I’ve spent hours honing my swing in PGA Tour 2K25, and while its shot craft remains excellent, familiar frustrations can’t keep it totally out of the rough
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
The AMD RX 9070 XT delivers exactly what the market needs with stunning performance at an unbeatable price
AOC Graphic Pro U32U3CV during our review
I reviewed the AOC Graphic Pro U32U3CV and it's a staggeringly pro-grade monitor for the price
Daredevil standing in somebody's underground lair in Daredevil: Born Again season 1
Daredevil: Born Again is a fearless Disney+ revival of the best Netflix Marvel TV show that slowly continues to restore my faith in the MCU
Bose Solo Soundbar 2 against pink background with plant
It’s no dud, but this cheap Bose soundbar I reviewed felt a little outdated for this one reason
photographer wearing an f-stop Tilopa 50L DuraDiamond
I'm an outdoors photographer, and this f-stop backpack has gone on every photography trip with me for many years – here's my long-term review
The cover art of co-op game Split Fiction
I rode a dragon, sizzled as a sausage, and won a dance-off with a monkey in Split Fiction, and that’s not even the half of it