Canon XSi vs Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N advantages over Canon XSi

• Less expensive
  $700 vs $900 (MSRP)
  Save money for lenses or accessories
• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• In-camera panoramas
  Yes vs No
  Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  NEX-5N test data on DxO Mark XSi test data on DxO Mark
  1,079 vs 692 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  NEX-5N test data on DxO Mark XSi test data on DxO Mark
  12.7 vs 10.8 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Thinner
  38 mm vs 61 mm
  Thinner
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• More pixels
  16.1 vs 12.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Faster JPEG shooting
  10.0 fps vs 3.5 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 1600 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility