Sony a1 vs Sony NEX-5N

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a1 and Sony NEX-5N. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a1

Sony NEX-5N

Manufacturing

These cameras are both manufactured by Sony.

Sony a1 were released 2021 and Sony NEX-5N was released 2011. That is a 10 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a1	2021
Sony NEX-5N	2011

Type of camera

Both these cameras are Mirrorless cameras. No difference there.

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a1 has a "Sony Full Frame"-sensor while Sony NEX-5N has a "Sony APS-C"-sensor, and their difference in sensors will also affect the crop factor and experience focal length. See the table below.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a1	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Sony NEX-5N	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)

Resolution

Sony a1 has a 50 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Sony NEX-5N has 16 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a1	50 MP 49766400 pixels 8640 x 5760
Sony NEX-5N	16 MP 16032768 pixels 4912 x 3264

Sony a1 has a 210 % larger resolution than Sony NEX-5N. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Sony a1 has a larger ISO-range than Sony NEX-5N. Sony a1 has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 32000 while Sony NEX-5N has 100 to 25600.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a1	100-32000
Sony NEX-5N	100-25600

Autofocus and lens compatibility

Both of these cameras have a built-in autofocus motor. Some lenses, that support autofocus, do not have an autofocus motor of their own but this won't cause any problems with these two cameras.

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a1
Lens compatibility chart for Sony NEX-5N

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a1 can shoot up to 30 pictures per seconds and Sony NEX-5N can shoot up to 10 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a1	30
Sony NEX-5N	10

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

In this case, both Sony a1 and Sony NEX-5N can shoot movies.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Sony a1 weighs 737 gr (equal to 1.62 lb) which is 174% heavier than Sony NEX-5N and its 269 gr (or 0.59 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a1	737 gr 1.62 lb
Sony NEX-5N	269 gr 0.59 lb