Why Use a $100 vs $1,399 Street Photography Camera

Having the chance to test two identical cameras released 13 years apart is rare, so we are comparing the changes and similarities between the Sony NEX 5 and the Sony A6700 as street photography cameras. While neither of these cameras is a common choice for street photography, I've tested both and have some thoughts. Sony is not a popular brand for "pure street photographers" but it's hard to deny the capability of their cameras considering their size.
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0:00 - 2 Cameras 13 Years Apart
1:31 - How They Are Similar
2:32 - Autofocus & Ergonomics
3:29 - Image Quality & IBIS
4:21 - Viewfinder Problems
5:28 - Battery Chat
6:09 - Unique Accessories
7:07 - Need for Speed
#streetphotography #camera

[@GeorgeHolden]

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[@espenm.andersen3434]

Tip: if you want to hold the NEX-5 (and similar cameras) over your head to take pictures, just hold it upside down with the tilt screen out.

[@catalin-ap]

I strongly recommend the a5100 as the $100 (more like $150-175) used, for the huge update in autofocus, as well as the usability and the touchscreen (compared to the old-tech, badly responsive touchscreens of the NEX 5Ts and others...), for those that want to stay as tiny as possible.

[@martonhegedus]

It just doesn’t have the same level of sexy as the NEX5’s. NEX 5r and 5t were the pinnacle of exciting design in the e mount lineup, in my opinion.

[@AdrianGozali]

I stayed with my Nex 5R because it’s ability to use JYC FA-1S. It’s enabled the capability to use universal hotshoe trigger, flashes & studio strobes. I still use this camera today to photograph in studio catalogue product photography

[@ProjectLM_]

I have an a6700, but I also used to have an NEX-5T as a small backup cam. Loved the form factor and the dials, but I'm mostly a video guy, and the video specs and autofocus just didn't cut it. Just found an a5100 for $150 from a local deal, and while it's missing some of the dials and Fn menu of the NEX-5T/a6700, the image quality is very similar to the a6700, and the autofocus comes pretty close! Feels like a Sony version of the GX850. Both are more than enough for street photography (the NEX-5T prob is better for the form factor), but as an all rounder, the a5100 is still great if you can get it for cheap!

[@imnguyen6658]

Absolutely! A5100 very comparable to modern A6*** with way less compromises.

[@maggnet4829]

I can as well highly recommend the a5100. Use it together with DXOs noise reduction and you can use an ISO up to 6400 without any issues. AF is quite good. The A6700 is a bit better in the image quality, but mostly in dynamic range. So highlight recovery is offering more flexibility. ISO for stills holds up to ISO 8000. The AF is tremendously better. Both of them thougj have rather little effect for most street photography genres. From a practical point of view a big difference is the screen brightness. The a5100 sometimes struggles here in very bright light. All in all I can highly recommend the a5100 due to size, weight, general performance and a screen that can be tilted at an angle, which really helps if you shoot low. Just a pity it can not tilt the other way, so if you raise the camera high, you can't see the picture well. Combine it with the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 for the ultimate small package with AF, pleasing rendering and a very good sharpness. The a5100 has a touchscreen by the way!

[@gamebuster800]

I own the NEX5n, A5100, A6300 and A6700. They're widely different in usage but their pictures are usually quite similar.

[@GeorgeHolden]

That's interesting!

[@gabithemagyar]

The NEX-5 has a menu item where you can adjust the screen brightness for bright daylight shooting. It was my first interchangeable lens camera.

[@laika25]

Back when the NEXes were released, I went straight to the 7, which I still have and use. Recently I purchased the mighty 6400.

[@97nelsn]

I found a NEX-5T with a kit lens and battery at a thrift store years ago for $12 and it’s what got me into Sony. If I waited another day, it would’ve been $7.50. One of my favorite photos I took with that camera was with an FE 50mm 1.8 lens I purchased for $20 after using a $100 gift card and Xmas money to cover the cost. I have since sold all of them but I do miss having that NEX-5T.

[@keshudioo]

$12??? Wow!

[@annoyedok321]

Keeping a $100 camera in the car sounds like a great idea. I drove past 3 photo content occurrences last night but didn't have a camera on me besides a smartphone. I'm thinking a insulated bag with absorbent packs makes it ok to store a camera in there for most months

[@kamilk6807]

Batteries + cold = charge with a sad face

[@masadamofu]

@@kamilk6807I mean you can use a dummy battery and connect it to the car via usb while keep spare battery around

[@kamilk6807]

@@masadamofu good one. solves the problem, i agree.

[@ckl33]

i just bought a NEX-7 for $100 usd and it has 3 dials and evf. im using it with vintage lenses so the worse autofocus isn't much of an issue in my case

[@numbersix8919]

You have chosen...wisely.

[@ElectronInc]

I started my digital photography journey with a sony cybershot dsc-p93. Them jumped to a nikon d60. Today I have em-10 mkii and em-1 mk ii. Though the latter IQ is great and still valid in terms of professional production, the em-10 mk ii is the one that makes me find again all the fun I had with the sony

[@sergiodominguez2614]

U make me wanna shoot with my 2010 cameras mate

[@GeorgeHolden]

Do it! I keep on debating even older cameras too

[@williamhill7759]

Back in the day I fell in love with the Olympus OM2. The small form factor and huge range of interchangeable lenses excited my passion for photography. Many years later I bought the Sony NX-5 from a friend and fell in love again...I now have A6000, A6500 and A6700. Really like your analysis - tongue in cheek but good question to ask. Thank you.

[@GeorgeHolden]

That's awesome, hope you like your Sonys!

[@p0rt0b0y]

There is an EVF attachment for the NEX5. I've still got one lying around in a drawer somewhere

[@GeorgeHolden]

Oh that's good to know!

[@AdrianGozali]

I use something called JYC FA-1S hotshoe adapter for my NEX 5R, so it can use any universal hotshoe speedlite, trigger and still compact sized for most camera bags

[@GeorgeHolden]

Awesome!

[@Princeton_James]

Sold my brand new one a couple of months ago. Kinda regret it. Felt so good to hold. Simple to use and produced beautiful images. I got an a6700 so no complaints.

[@brianmckeever5280]

Very creative video work.

[@Itsnotsafeandeffective]

Another great video....shot a 6000 and a6300 the a a6300 I even shot it with a metabones and canon 400mm f2.8 strange but true I used it for kingfishers.

[@yumenolala]

lol, back then I bought the Olympus Pen E-PL1 instead of the NEX because of the price and the E-PL1 had ibis.

[@eimhin_]

1:47 scared the absolute heck out of me 😂

[@rick-deckard]

Me too

[@suzatlarge]

This video is brilliant. Wise. And funny! Thank. you. My Sony gear includes the NEX-5r, a6600, A7R3, and more. Shooting with the NEX is still fun. It's small and light, and of course can be used with all my e-mount lenses. I'd hate to lose it but honestly I often leave it in my car, discreetly stowed in a hard case with the kit lens and extra batteries - if it goes astray I'd wouldn't have lost expensive gear.

[@grilledlettuce4028]

Yoooo my nex5 is still on my shelf! Need to take it around campus lol

[@GeorgeHolden]

Yes give it some love!

[@Ivlodded]

Never in my life have I bought a new camera. I will forever stick with the canon 5d classic.

[@GeorgeHolden]

That's cool! How do you find it these days?

[@Ivlodded]

@@GeorgeHolden Theres something great about canon: their color science outperforms all other brands Even when shooting in jpeg cause im that lazy pair any canon dslr with an older lens and you will see what i mean

[@rick-deckard]

🏆

[@simonsimpson4695]

I have a Nex 5. It is possible to buy a hot shoe adapter which is a classic hot shoe that fits in the same place as the OEM flash unit and ribbon connector. They are still available in 2023 but not common place. I use my Nex 5 for video and for using legacy lenses. I like how easy it is to use manual focus with magnify by the single button. They are brilliant little cameras. Maybe not to compare with the A6000 range but still very useful and incredibly compact APSC system.

[@GeorgeHolden]

That's good to know thankyou!

[@grandrapids57]

Question for the general public here: how are the menu systems? I had an Olympus camera and I was glad it got stolen because it was such a nightmare to use.

[@AdmiralSym]

I have an NEX-6 and I’m still rocking an GH4 for video

[@johna6968]

Love my NEX5-N

[@carolingrimaldi]

once had the NEX-5 for a short time, but gave it away because the propriety hot shoe could not understand my external flash trigger!

[@BlueBomberTurbo]

Could've used the other flash in optical slave mode, triggered by the NEX's add-on flash.

[@avegaiii]

I still use my GX1 with a 20mm 1.7 or a 14mm 2.5. Not only do I love that camera but it’s small and if it gets stolen it doesn’t cost much to replace. I actually ended up buying 4 of them

[@MrBunz]

i just dug up an old gx1 after watching a few of these sorts of videos - do you have any tips or advice regarding the gx1?

[@avegaiii]

@@MrBunznot that I can think of lol. I mean it’s obviously not the best low light camera so I wouldn’t pick it in every situation but it’s a great edc or walk around camera. Sometimes I’d prefer to have my GRIII but depending on which area or country I happen to be in it’s sometimes safer to take the cheaper option as my edc.

[@numbersix8919]

The funnest camera is the NEX-6.

[@carolingrimaldi]

frankly speeking, I am a fan of the "waist level shooting" experience for street photography, so a great fan of the tilt screen.

[@ikirizki9185]

3:34 I'm newbie, what do you mean with "larger files"? You mean when we print it? Please explain. Thanks

[@GeorgeHolden]

As in the size of the digital file, with a higher resolution sensor the raw files are going to be 26mb per photo rather than 15mb for example

[@johnjacobsen4003]

I got tons af vids about this subject - going back to precambrian cams - because I subbed here last week, and as a "photo idiot" - I´m just more and more happy with my Fujifilm F30 that I bought in 2009! That little gem just f.... rocks, still use it. How' s that all you fancy new tech boys? I'm 68 btw..

[@The157ra]

Thanks for the most interesting video. As someone who likes being a tourist and having shots of my wife or me taken in front of famous places, I think the NEX F3 is superior to the NEX 5 and to the A6700. It has a pop-up flash, which neither of the other two do. One needs fill-flash for back lit areas, and who wants to carry a separate flash unit around? That said, I still would't mind an A6700. Cheers.

[@sherice1730]

Nex 5 is nice but newer lenses that require the camera to have in camera lens correction won’t do well on this camera.

[@BlueBomberTurbo]

Only if you shoot JPG. 1 click correction in RAW, as always.

[@earlfenwick]

I remember ( back in the day) selling my nex5 for an omd em5 because it had a viewfinder. I was doing paid gigs with them both. It was nice having the viewfinder but the photos never popped like the Sony's did.

[@ianmcdiarmid4563]

NEX-7 hits the sweet spot.

[@DOneClub]

But you can buy an fullframe Sony a7 for the price of a Nex 7

[@ianmcdiarmid4563]

That good!@@DOneClub

[@BlueBomberTurbo]

@@DOneClub A7 was an experiment at best. Slow and clunky. NEX-7 was nearing the peak of the NEX series.

[@dollarinhand3443]

Why does everyone forget the Nex 7 release in 2011 the best Sony small camera ever made aimed at semi pros using the easy slider dial Tri Nav system. (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) Only disliked by people that feel they need to change their mode all the time which you need to go into the menu.

[@chantalmyfawny]

I use my zv1 for street and it works amazingly - I have videos on my channel showcasing this ❤

[@JackH-zh3wh]

Any thoughts on the 20mm f2.8 pancake? Is IQ as bad as everyone says?

[@GeorgeHolden]

This Thursday I'm dropping a video on the 20mm!

[@JackH-zh3wh]

@@GeorgeHolden Looking forward to it.

[@Itsnotsafeandeffective]

he made me look a micro 43rds Iam hooked on them now. Hes the devil❤

[@sirsober1718]

come on man, that door is hella creepy. im watching this alone at night!

[@reviewsontech]

😂 Apparently that USB-C idea for iphones didn't turn out so wrong

[@peser7662]

You can buy hot shoe adapter for nex, and even evf too, but evf is rarely and maybe expensive, but u can buy adapter to use Nikon and canon flash. However, the big issues with this camera is the battery and dial, a lack of dials can make u capture the moment slower, and very bad battery can make your day worse. In spite of that, MF lens for nex is the best option now and you can use that for latest Sony cameras, so I think you should buy Nex 7 for such purpose

[@GungKrisna12]

are you suggesting all camera manufacturers use E-mount?

[@GeorgeHolden]

I don't think so?

[@muhdihsan6076]

I shot a wedding using my nex5 😭

[@fnix14]

Don't forget the Sony a3000

[@pushedeyeso]

But does it have games on it?

[@GeorgeHolden]

The menu looks like it should have Snake 2 for sure

[@pushedeyeso]

@@GeorgeHolden holy throwback lol

[@jupiterman7]

I was hoping apple would go MFT as im all in with them 😂

[@GeorgeHolden]

Imagine 😅 Apple single handedly saving the MFT system

[@theuktoday4233]

hey... I got rid of my Sony full frame and my nearly new RX100 V11as I had finally had enough of the fake looking images from these over priced over teched cameras. I now use my Sony NEX5n, NEX6 and A5000 all l kitted out with legacy lenses except for one. These cameras rock.

[@angelopastorini1711]

@theuktoday4233 older cameras + vintage lenses are really fun to shoot with and you get rid of any distraction. Less distractions make better photos

[@BlueBomberTurbo]

Could've just changed the look of the JPGs in-camera. 🤷 Plenty of tools to do it, more than any other brand, besides the newest Lumix cameras with LUT integration.

[@KhoaVu-cf2sm]

Apple DID (had to) adopt USB-C.

[@GeorgeHolden]

That was my point 😅 filmed after the announcement!

[@Galaxymusic20]

Do you sell cameras?

[@GeorgeHolden]

No I'm one person in a room 😅

[@cityproofdad]

do you say enexus or nexus?? it is nex not enex!!!

[@GeorgeHolden]

I know it's NEX...

[@cityproofdad]

@@GeorgeHolden lut or el u te??

[@sbcwinn]

I really dislike the character that pops up every so often. He is a distraction from otherwise good information.

[@GeorgeHolden]

Are you invalidating his existence? I can't help that he lives here too

[@soytupappa]

Why is this guy's face always on frame? Watched the whole video with this guys face on frame and didn't even show a comparison about the of both cameras. What a waste of 9 min

[@GeorgeHolden]

Sir my face is always about 25% of each vid, so you blind