Sony a57 vs Sony NEX-5N

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a57 and Sony NEX-5N. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a57

Sony NEX-5N

Manufacturing

These cameras are both manufactured by Sony.

Sony a57 were released 2012 and Sony NEX-5N was released 2011. That is a 1 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a57	2012
Sony NEX-5N	2011

Type of camera

Sensors / crop factor

Both these cameras have the same sorts of sensor (called "Sony APS-C") which means that if you compare these cameras side by side the lenses will also have the same experienced focal length. Neither of the cameras has a Full frame sensor which means that you will get a "crop factor" where the camera's sensor size affect the focal length with a multiplier.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a57	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5
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

Both these cameras have the exact same resolution. Sony a57 has a 16 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 a57	16 MP 16032768 pixels 4912 x 3264
Sony NEX-5N	16 MP 16032768 pixels 4912 x 3264

ISO range

Sony NEX-5N has a larger ISO-range than Sony a57. Sony NEX-5N has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 25600 while Sony a57 has 100 to 16000.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a57	100-16000
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 a57
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 a57 can shoot up to 12 pictures per seconds and Sony NEX-5N can shoot up to 10 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a57	12
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 a57 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 a57 weighs 618 gr (equal to 1.36 lb) which is 130% heavier than Sony NEX-5N and its 269 gr (or 0.59 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a57	618 gr 1.36 lb
Sony NEX-5N	269 gr 0.59 lb