Mirrorless · 2011

Sony Alpha NEX-5N

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N is a mirrorless from 2011 with a APS-C sensor measuring 23.5 × 15.6 mm. Its crop factor is 1.53×, so a 50 mm lens frames like 77 mm on full frame. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

APS-C1.53× cropSony E-mount
Sony Alpha NEX-5N camera
Photo: A.BourgeoisP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1.53×
Crop factor
23.5×15.6 mm
Sensor size
367 mm²
Area · 42% of full frame
2011
Release year

Specifications#

Brand
Sony
Model
Alpha NEX-5N
Also known as
NEX-5N, Sony NEX-5N
Camera type
Mirrorless
Released
2011-01-01
Lens mount
Sony E-mount
Sensor size
23.5 × 15.6 mm (APS-C)
Crop factor
1.53×
Weight
269 g (9.5 oz)

Specifications merged from Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

Medium format 44 × 33 mmFull frame (35 mm)Sony Alpha NEX-5NFour Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor
The Sony Alpha NEX-5N sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 42% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 1.2 stops less total light at the same exposure.

Focal length equivalents & field of view#

Multiply any focal length by 1.53 to get the full-frame field of view. Angles are for a rectilinear lens focused at infinity.

Lens on this cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
8 mm12 mm111.5°88.5°120.9°
10 mm15 mm99.2°75.9°109.3°
12 mm18 mm88.8°66.0°99.2°
14 mm21 mm80.0°58.2°90.4°
16 mm25 mm72.6°52.0°82.8°
18 mm28 mm66.3°46.9°76.2°
20 mm31 mm60.9°42.6°70.4°
24 mm37 mm52.2°36.0°60.9°
28 mm43 mm45.5°31.1°53.5°
35 mm54 mm37.1°25.1°43.9°
40 mm61 mm32.7°22.1°38.8°
50 mm77 mm26.4°17.7°31.5°
56 mm86 mm23.7°15.9°28.3°
70 mm107 mm19.1°12.7°22.8°
85 mm130 mm15.7°10.5°18.8°
100 mm153 mm13.4°8.9°16.1°
135 mm207 mm9.9°6.6°11.9°
200 mm307 mm6.7°4.5°8.1°
300 mm460 mm4.5°3.0°5.4°
400 mm614 mm3.4°2.2°4.0°
600 mm920 mm2.2°1.5°2.7°
800 mm1227 mm1.7°1.1°2.0°

Depth of field table#

Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 19.6 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
14 mmf/1.88.8 cm36.6 cm1.63 m4.52 m45.2 m∞5.58 m
14 mmf/2.813.8 cm59.6 cm3.21 m16.5 m∞∞3.59 m
14 mmf/420.2 cm93.1 cm8.53 m∞∞∞2.52 m
14 mmf/845.7 cm4.14 m∞∞∞∞1.27 m
28 mmf/1.82.1 cm8.7 cm35.7 cm81.5 cm2.35 m11.2 m22.3 m
28 mmf/2.83.3 cm13.6 cm56.2 cm1.30 m3.95 m27.1 m14.3 m
28 mmf/44.7 cm19.6 cm81.9 cm1.95 m6.58 m2.0 km10.0 m
28 mmf/89.5 cm40.3 cm1.86 m5.49 m643 m∞5.04 m
48 mmf/1.80.7 cm2.9 cm11.9 cm27.1 cm76.1 cm3.11 m65.5 m
48 mmf/2.81.1 cm4.5 cm18.6 cm42.3 cm1.19 m5.01 m42.1 m
48 mmf/41.5 cm6.5 cm26.6 cm60.8 cm1.73 m7.63 m29.5 m
48 mmf/83.1 cm13.0 cm54.0 cm1.25 m3.79 m24.9 m14.8 m
78 mmf/1.80.2 cm1.1 cm4.4 cm10.1 cm28.5 cm1.15 m173 m
78 mmf/2.80.4 cm1.7 cm6.9 cm15.8 cm44.4 cm1.80 m111 m
78 mmf/40.5 cm2.4 cm9.9 cm22.6 cm63.5 cm2.59 m77.8 m
78 mmf/81.1 cm4.7 cm19.8 cm45.3 cm1.29 m5.46 m39.0 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 28 mm
f/1.2f/1.833.4 m
f/1.4f/2.128.7 m
f/1.8f/2.822.3 m
f/2f/3.120.1 m
f/2.8f/4.314.3 m
f/4f/6.110.0 m
f/5.6f/8.67.19 m
f/8f/12.35.04 m

Night-sky exposure limits#

Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors. (NPF needs a known resolution and is omitted here.)

Focal length500 rule
9 mm (14 mm eq.)36.2 s
13 mm (20 mm eq.)25.1 s
16 mm (25 mm eq.)20.4 s
23 mm (35 mm eq.)14.2 s
33 mm (51 mm eq.)9.9 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

Handheld shutter speed guide#

The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.

Focal lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
16 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
33 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
65 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
130 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the Sony Alpha NEX-5N?

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N has a crop factor of 1.53× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 28.2 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the Sony Alpha NEX-5N sensor?

23.5 × 15.6 mm (APS-C), an area of 367 mm² — 42% of full frame.

Is the Sony Alpha NEX-5N full frame?

No — its sensor is APS-C, which is 2.4× smaller in area than full frame.

What lens mount does the Sony Alpha NEX-5N use?

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N uses the Sony E-mount (flange distance 18.00 mm).

How long can I expose the night sky with the Sony Alpha NEX-5N?

With a 13 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources