One thing serious photographers would like is a camera that takes pictures with the quality of a digital single-lens reflex camera, but one that’s lighter and much more compact. I reviewed several decent attempts last year, including the Canon S95 and the Leica D-Lux 5. They were souped-up, ultracompact cameras that combined a much better lens with a slightly improved image sensor. The results were quite impressive; they slipped into a pocket, but were not quite up to DSLR quality. This week I’m reviewing a camera that comes closer to DSLR quality but doesn’t quite slip into a pocket.
Over the past year, a number of camera companies have introduced a new product category that comes closer to matching a DSLR in performance. The category is called mirrorless cameras, because they bear some resemblance to the DSLRs with interchangeable lenses, but with the mirror removed.
Their approach is to use excellent interchangeable lenses with a large sensor in a tiny body. Panasonic, Olympus and Nikon use what’s called the 4/3 sensor. Sony has chosen to use a sensor that's even bigger.
I’ve been testing the Sony NEX-5N. While no bigger in size than the other mirrorless models, the NEX uses an APS-C size sensor that’s 60 percent larger than what’s used in ultracompact cameras. This is the same size sensor that’s used in many DSLR cameras, such as the Pentax K-5 and models from Nikon and Canon.
This results in a camera that takes pictures similar to a DSLR, but that weighs half as much with a lot less bulk. The camera has large lens attached to a tiny body, about the same size of an ultracompact camera.
My sample from Sony came with a 3X zoom 18-55-millimeter, f/3.5-5.6 lens. It’s too big to fit in a pocket, but it easily fits into any briefcase or large pocketbook, and is light enough to carry all day. The one big compromise compared to a DSLR is its viewfinder. There is none; instead you compose and shoot using the 3-inch rear screen 921K LCD.
While the screen is sharp and bright, it still gets washed out in the sun. The screen’s angle is adjustable for tilt from 45 degrees to almost horizontal, allowing you to find a position with less glare. It also worked well for taking pictures of kids and pets, using it like an old waist level reflex camera. (You can buy an optional plug-in electronic viewfinder for about $200. It plugs into the same connector as the tiny plug-in flash, but you can’t do both at the same time.)
The controls consist of just seven on-camera buttons, two of them soft buttons that change function based on the menu. There is no mode setting dial — instead you use the image of a dial on the display to make changes. The items on the menu can be triggered either by touch or by using the physical soft buttons, which were not always intuitive. I preferred to turn the touch off and use the scroll wheel on the camera.
How good are the images? I shot several hundred, many in bright sun on Memorial Day as well as some using flash and indoors using natural lighting. Overall the images were quite sharp with vivid colors. I did experience one sequence of images with a higher number that were out of focus, but I wasn’t able to repeat that in other shooting sequences.
One of the advantages of a larger sensor is a shallower depth of field, more like a conventional film camera. That makes the subject stand out from the soft background and foreground, which is particularly effective when shooting portraits.
Low-light indoor pictures were excellent. I used a 50mm f/1.8 lens, which enabled me to capture in a room lit by a couple of small lamps. The camera can also take HD videos, but I did not test that mode. Sony builds a lot of interesting capabilities, such as its panorama mode. You take a picture while slowly sweeping the camera in a horizontal arc, and it will create a perfect result.
The camera is sturdily constructed, mostly out of metal, and has a handgrip that provides a firm one-handed grasp. The lens barrel has a beautiful satin aluminum finish. Sony is on the forefront of including all sorts of digital tricks and features to create special effects. Examples include the Dynamic Range Optimizer to improve results with backlit subjects, Intelligent auto focus, Auto HDR and 11 picture effect modes.
The Sony NEX-5N does a great job of effectively balancing light weight and almost small-enough size with images that are comparable to those taken with a DSLR. ($700 with zoom lens, sony.com)
Baker is the author of "From Concept to Consumer" published by Financial Times Press and available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other booksellers. He has developed and marketed consumer and computer products for Polaroid, Apple, Seiko and others; holds 30 patents; and is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Baker can be heard on KOGO AM the first Sunday of each month. Send comments to phil.baker@sddt.com. Comments may be published as Letters to the Editor. Baker's blog is blog.philipgbaker.com, and his website is philipgbaker.com.
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