Sony NEX-5 vs Canon 5D Mark III

Canon 5D Mark III advantages over Sony NEX-5

• Lens selection
  Excellent vs Good
  Better lens selection gives you more options
• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 6.25 vs 5.16 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Fast startup
  ~0.50 vs 1.0 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  5D Mark III test data on DxO Mark NEX-5 test data on DxO Mark
  2,293 vs 796 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  950 vs 330 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.12 vs 0.44 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  22.3 vs 14.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Faster JPEG shooting
  6.0 fps vs 2.7 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  63 vs 38 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  102400 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility