The Sony NEX 5KB is a very versatile Digital, aimed at the more serious photographer who is looking for quality linked to spontaneity. The new Sony is a revolutionary piece of equipment for a compact, and comes with interchangeable lenses which increases your photographic options and maintains creative flexibility. This camera is the world's lightest and most compact interchangeable and includes some unique features which combines with some new technology to take it to the forefront when comparing it to other cameras in its class; or so the Sony Publicity department says. Let's take a look for ourselves shall we. The camera comes equipped with the following.
Kit Lens E 18-55mm
Power Tool Battery Charger
Lens Hood
Lens Cap.
Flash.
Case for Flash
Battery Charger
Power Cord
Rechargeable Battery
Shoulder Strap.
USB Cable.
CD-Rom
Users of the Sony Cybershot who want to take the plunge and step up in class will feel at home with the overall feel and controls, and will definitely see the difference in delivered quality. For the rest who don't already own a Sony, you will be amazed at just how small this camera is; the body is barely 24 mm thick and inside there is so much technology. The interchangeable lens compact type cameras is a whole new world apart and on the surface it looks like Sony have surpassed their rivals. But is it as good as it looks?
I must admit I liked and found very useful, the "sweep Panorama" mode, which is a bit noisy but enables you to take snap shots of a Panoramic view, and seamlessly stitch them together. The handheld twilight feature is another great mode that combines a series of pictures into one sharp image.
The movie mode is a vast improvement on the Cybershot, but for the difference in price should be. One drawback though is that it doesn't have any manual exposure controls so there are still problems for Sony here. My opinion on using this type of camera for taking videos though is a definite no. Get yourself a video camera and keep this one for stills.
For me the interface of the camera is a bit small and complicated, and takes time to get used to; If you want to make lots of adjustments then it could turn out to be a bit tedious.
My conclusion? This camera is for someone who want to step up from the average low-cost digital, and start to take professional quality pictures. The picture quality really is in a different league to other compacts. The more experienced photographer will probable give this one a miss for no other reason than it is a Sony. Marks out of 10. A sublime 9.5.