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Sony NEX-5: The Perfect Travel Camera

Looking Out Over Paris, originally uploaded by Craig Damlo.

I’m not a professional photographer, but, like many, I am a dedicated amateur. Like most dedicated amateurs out there, I have a full-time career that helps support my photography habit. Luckily for me, I have the advantage in my everyday career to travel, both domestically and internationally. I don’t always have the space or weight to bring along my full DSLR and lenses with me on business trips.
I have heard time and time again that the best way to improve your photography is by shooting more. The number one way to take more pictures is to always carry your camera with you. While most phones today can take pictures, camera phones do not have the option to control the more technical aspects of your photography, which leaves three other options: 1) A point-and-shoot pocket camera; 2) Carry your DSLR camera everywhere you go; or 3) an electronic view interchangeable lens (EVIIL) camera.

Size matters

A point-and-shoot camera can be a good option, especially based on the size and portability, but most have the same problem as your phone, limited control. This sets limits on creativity. In a perfect world carrying your DSLR with you would be the best option, but for an individual like myself, I don’t always have the option to pack and carry an extra 5 lbs in my suitcase. The sweet spot seems to fall in the EVIL camera camp, and the Sony NEX-5 is a great option in that market.

Ergonomics

Many reasons went into my selection of the Sony NEX-5, but the number one reason was the size and ergonomics of the camera. The Sony NEX-5 is one of the smallest EVIL cameras on the market. Rather than being a typical candy-bar shape like many point-and-shoots, it is wider on the side thanks to a small but effective grip. Sony also did a great job on keeping a simplistic design with very few dials and buttons. This, along with the hand grip, allows for settings to be easily adjusted with one hand while shooting.

User friendly

As mentioned earlier Sony have done a great job of is balancing the user-friendliness for novices with the needs of more advanced users. My main DSLR is a Sony Alpha 900. When looking at the EVIL cameras, I was worried that the user-assistance options would simply get in my way and impede my use of the camera, but, with the release of firmware version 3, Sony has allowed the advanced user to remap the functions of two buttons (Sony calls them “soft buttons”), which makes the camera quicker to use. Sony seems to have found a very nice balance between advanced user options and my ability to hand the camera to my mom; both of us can easily and happily use the camera.

Helpful soft buttons

For the novice user, the camera offers “Scene Selection” modes as well as an “Intelligent Auto” mode that does everything for you. When using the Intelligent Auto feature the soft buttons offer some helpful features for the complete beginner. One soft button is mapped as a “Shooting Tips” button that brings up a handy tip based on the type of photo being taken. These tips range from basics on how to hold the camera to optimize the best stabilization to more advanced tips such as how to control the depth of focus in a macro photo.

The second soft button is programed as a “Background Defocus” button. When the user presses this button, it brings up a slider (which is controlled with the scroll wheel) that goes from “Defocus” on one end to “Crisp” on the other. The background defocus simply controls the f-stop. However, it does it in plain language, allowing any user to control this aspect of his or her photographs.
For the advanced user any time the camera is set to Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual Exposure, or Program Auto, the two soft keys can be custom programed. The first soft key can be set to a single function from a list of many options, ranging from the Sony Shooting Tips to ISO setting. The second soft key is a bit more advanced because it can be set to a allow quick changing of a single option or up to three settings by pressing the button multiple times. These programmable soft keys have vastly improved the usability of the camera, and they have allowed advanced users to make adjustments quicker without the need for digging through camera menus.

Conclusion

Although the Sony NEX-5 will never replace my Sony Alpha 900 as my only camera, it has proven itself as a great travel camera. Shortly after getting my Sony NEX-5 in early 2011 I took an international business trip and packed the Sony NEX-5 and left my Sony Alpha 900 at home. It showed its value before even boarding the aircraft: My carry-on bags came in just under the limit to allow me to bring them on the plane. The added weight of a full DSLR would have easily put my bag over the weight limit and I would have been forced to check that valuable equipment into the hold.
The Sony NEX-5 has also turned out to be a great camera for a rushed afternoon of site-seeing around the Palace at Versailles in France and an evening in Paris. Although it was still winter in France, my jacket pockets were the perfect home for the camera, and I wasn’t the traditional target of thieves with a full camera hanging around my neck.