The Sony NEX series has always been a favourite ours here at the HQ. When Sony launched the NEX-5R last night at the IFA announcement, they made an amazing camera that much better. Specs wise, the NEX-5R is a small increment from its predecessor, packing 16.1MP with low light sensitivity of up to 25,600 ISO. The NEX-5R also sports a very quick 10fps burst rate for the machine gunners of us all. Design wise, the 5R is not much different from the 5N, with on of the NEX-7 dials thrown in for convenience.
Where the NEX-5R stands out from the rest of the pack is the inclusion of WiFi functionality and the support for downloadable apps. Firstly, supporting 802.11b/g WiFi, the NEX-5R is controllable through your smartphone’s Smart Remote Control app, available on iOS and Android. You can even directly upload the media to the web if you really can’t wait to tell your social media what you are having for dinner.
Granted this functionality is not a new one, with the Samsung compacts having them for a while (Please don’t sue, Samsung!). This is Sony’s first and we have yet to try it for ourselves so we can’t really pass judgement. I believe that this feature should be one feature that more cameras should adopt, especially Mirrorless Interchangeable lens ones, or even DSLRs. The possibilities are endless with what you can do with it and I can’t wait to see what this technology will bring.
The NEX-5R will be available in mid October and will ship for around US$650 for the body or US$750 with the kit lens
