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Sony NEX-5N + 18-55mm - digital cameras (Auto, Cloudy, Custom modes, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Landscape, Panorama, Portrait, Self-portrait, Manual, Movie, Scene, Black&White, Vivid, Movie, Single image, Battery)

£24.995£49.99Clearance
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D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony's solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light. In terms of AF speed, the NEX-5n isn’t the fastest we’ve seen on a camera of this type and is certainly slower than rival CSC models from the likes of Nikon, Olympus and Panasonic. That said, we’re only really talking small margins here (mere hundredths of seconds) and the NEX-5n’s AF speed remains perfectly serviceable, especially in good light. There’s also a powerful little AF Assist light on the front of the camera that can help out when light levels drop too low. The signature Sweep Panorama mode also seen on Cyber-Shot models again features, here generating up to 23MP images. There are both 2D and 3D versions, the latter only viewable on a suitably equipped TV, both of which stitch together a rapid-fire sequence of images to automatically deliver a single elongated image. Disappointingly you now have to delve into the Camera main menu system to access the various flash modes. The flash options more unusually include rear sync as well as slow sync, plus the regulars of auto and fill in. Somehwat confusingly the NEX-5N's red eye reduction setting isn't also found here - instead it has to be first enabled via the aforementioned Setup folder if you're shooting portraits with flash. Other third-party mechanical tube adapters are also available. These adapters enable the use of Canon FD-mount, Canon EF-mount (without aperture control), Contax G, M42 screw mount, Konica Hexanon AR-mount, Minolta SR-mount (MC/MD), Leica M and screw mount, Nikon F-mount (non-G), Pentax K-mount (non-DA), Olympus OM mount, T2 screw mount and Minolta/Konica Minolta/Sony A-mount lenses. The E-mount flange register is so short that it is possible to mount 45mm or longer-focal-length non-focusing enlarging lenses on the NEX body, with the use of an intermediate focusing helicoid behind them.

The NEX-5n further benefits from Sony’s current generation of BIONZ image processor, enabling it to crunch its way through data at a fair old pace with up to 10fps available in Speed Priority Continuous mode (whereby the AF and metering functions are only active for the first frame of the sequence) or 3fps with the AF constantly active in regular Continuous mode. With serviceable quality at ISO 25,600, if there’s enough light to see, the NEX-5N will have a reasonable stab at capturing it Newsworthy differences between the plain old Sony NEX-5 and the NEX-5N include an upping of the headline resolution from 14.2MP to 16.1MP, albeit courtesy of the same APS-C format sensor, plus an ISO boost from a maximum ISO 12800 to ISO 26500, due to what Sony claims is a new Bionz processor.Image quality pretty much leads the field within the compact system market, with the benefits of the large Sony-made APS-C sensor clearly visible. Low-light shooting is especially impressive with noise kept to a minimum all the way up to ISO 3,200 (and often ISO 6,400). Even the top sensitivity settings of ISO 12,800 and (to a lesser extent) 25,600 aren’t a complete disaster area. Image quality appears to be excellent, and even though megapixels have increased, the camera is still providing low noise levels, with the addition of a new ISO25600 range giving additional usefulness in extremely low light. The new 50mm f/1.8 Portrait lens also helps in low light.

High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image. The Sony NEX-5N allows you to take panoramic images very easily, by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching and now even successfully compensates for moving subjects. The main catch is that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution The NEX-5 along with its sister, the NEX-3, and also the Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 use a new lens mount system developed by Sony for NEX series and known as the Sony E-mount. Initially, there were three available lenses: an all-purpose 18–55mm lens, an ultra wide pancake 16mm lens, and a wide range 18–200mm E-mount lens. [5]Battery life is improved with a battery life rating of 410 shots. In our testing we took over 220 shots and the battery life was showing as having over 50% available, this is an improvement over the Sony NEX-5 who's battery life was rated at 330 shot. Shooting modes extend to the regular quartet of Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority and Manual, and these are neatly supplemented by a point-and-shoot Intelligent Auto mode, eight individually selectable Scene modes, an Anti Motion Blur mode, a 3D mode and, last but not least, a Sweep Panorama mode that enables the easy creation of ultra-wideangle images with a single button press. Sadly, this last option doesn’t include the high-resolution option seen on other Sony models, such as the HX9V. There's also a new Sony Alpha adapter, the LA-EA2, with translucent mirror technology, it provides high speed auto focus with Alpha lenses, and features a built in motor for lenses without built in motor. For more information have a look at our NEX-5N First Look Review.

Wide: horizontal 12416 x 1856 (23M), vertical 5536 x 2160 (12M), Standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856 (15M), vertical 3872 x 2160 (8.4M) JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.2 format), 3D MPO (MPF Extended compliant)Movie recording abilities extend to a maximum 1,920 x 1,080/50p Full HD with further options to record 1,080/50i and 1,080/25p AVCHD movies at a choice of 24 and 17mbps, or indeed MP4-encoded movies at non-HD resolutions. While the degree of choice and technical capabilities on offer are certainly impressive, we can’t help but think that many consumers will find the sheer number of options and the way they are presented somewhat confusing. The Olympus PEN series have, historically, been geared more towards the enthusiast crowd than Sony's NEX cameras which have been marketed primarily towards compact upgraders. However, with the 5N's new bevy of customization options and expanded features, that line is becoming blurred. The Sony NEX-5N and additional lenses, viewfinder, and new adapter give the NEX system added versatility, and a much more useful range of choices regarding lenses. The touch screen is an improvement in the way the NEX-5 is controlled as it helps make up for the limited number of buttons on the original NEX-5, aids access to options, and ultimately makes it an easier camera to use. It also makes it a more fun camera to use, particularly when viewing photos. The optional viewfinder is extremely impressive, with stunning detail and colour, although the addition of the EVF does stop you from using flash. With 1200-zone evaluative metering instead of the 49-segment metering of the NEX-5, its maker also claims a shutter lag of 0.02 seconds, so it's five times faster than its older sibling. Subtle tweaks perhaps, but in operation the Sony NEX-5N really seems to fly. Also positioned atop the camera are a left and right (stereo in combination) microphone, each sitting either side of the lens mount, with the clip-on flash/accessory port positioned in between. To the right of this is also a small built-in speaker, for reviewing audio in the field.

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are soft at the default sharpening setting. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look. The Sony NEX-5N produces photos of excellent quality. Noise is very well handled, being virtually absent from ISO 100-3200 and not being too obvious at the fast speed of ISO 6400. At ISO 12800, noise is more easily detectable when viewing images at 100% magnification on screen, but the images are still perfectly usable for small prints and resizing for web use. The fastest setting of ISO 25600 looks good on the specification sheet, but proves much less so in reality. The RAW samples illustrate just how much processing the camera does by default, though, as they're much noisier at all ISO values than their JPEG counterparts. Image stabilisation via the lens is a very useful feature that works well when hand-holding the NEX-5N in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. The 16.1 megapixel images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting. The pop-up flash provides an adequate level of exposure and thankfully no red-eye. Chromatic aberrations were only really noticeable by their absence, a great credit to the 18-55mm kit lens. The Sony NEX-5n uses a 25-point contrast-detect AF system and, in addition to regular autofocus (in either Single-shot or Continuous mode), there’s also a Manual Focus option that employs a helpful MF Assist function to magnify whatever’s inside the focus box to screen-filling proportions for more precise results. Last but not least is a DMF focus mode which keeps the autofocus switched on but also allows you to fine-tune the camera’s results manually using the focus ring on the lens (albeit without any help from AF Assist). While the NEX-3 and 5 were close siblings, differentiated mostly by styling and HD video capability, the NEX-5N and NEX-C3 are more like cousins. The 5N has a wider ISO range, spanning 100 - 25600 (equivalent) and adds support for the new FDA-EV1S electronic viewfinder. Like the co-announced NEX-7, the 5N also offers the option of using an electronic first-curtain shutter that promises to substantially reduce shutter lag. Furthermore, when paired with native E-mount lenses, it gains the capability to compensate for certain optical aberrations (namely lateral CA, vignetting and distortion - each of which can be turned on or off at the user's discretion). The NEX-5N also adds support for the new LA-EA2 SLT Alpha mount lens adapter which will also be compatible with the NEX-7.Again this works well, and is effortless. Pan with the camera in the direction of an onscreen arrow through an arc and the Sony NEX-5N will do the rest. More sample photos taken with the Sony NEX-5N: have a look at samples taken with the new Carl Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 Lens, new Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSS lens, and the new Sony 55-210mm OSS Lens. The NEX-5N is impressively small - as you can see in this comparison with the Olympus E-PL3, it's the same width but sits lower and has sections of its base cut away to reduce its overall volume. However, the 5N's larger sensor means the lens is considerably larger than the collapsing unit on the PEN and, unlike the Olympus, the NEX-5N doesn't have built-in image stabilization.

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