Sony NEX-5n news and reviews roundup (Overheating issues?)
Will Vazquez tested the NEX-5n video quality (see video on top) and discovered that: “after about 10 minutes of recording, the camera said it was overheating and turned itself off. I turned it back on after a few seconds and it seemed fine. It wasn’t that hot, a typical 85 degree (Fahrenheit) night in the Summer. Maybe it was the humidity.”
StevHuff (Click here) made a “Crazy Comparison” between the new Sony NEX-5n and the epxensive Leica M9 Image Quality: “So, can the 5n be called the poor mans Leica M9? In my opinion NO, because it is a totally different kind of camera. The M9 is a rangefinder and you shoot with it in a totally different style. So the NEX-5n will never give you the RF experience. The NEX-7 will bring y ou a step closer with a slightly larger body, more dials for manual controls, built in EVF, etc and in fact, The NEX-7 will be a game changer, mark my words!”
Here are more short NEX-5n news:
Image samples of the NEX-5n with Zeiss and Leica lenses on Flickr.
Japanese manufacturer acquapazza wil release an underwater housing for the 5n in november 2011. See http://www.acquapazza.jp/backnumber/news/286.php
Our japanese readers can read and see a NEX-5n versus NEX-5 comparison at ctec3.blog.so-net.ne.jp.
Another 5n user report at Dpreview forum.
P.S.: Tomorrow I will receive my new NEX-5n. Uhhh, my heart is beating…you hear it? 
Today the NEX-5n is back in Stock at Amazon US (Click here) and for the first time at BHphoto (Click here). And below you can find all the NEX preorder links:
NEX-7: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay
NEX-5n: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay
50mm f/1.8: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay
55-210mm: Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay
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Recent comments
Comment from Aron Anderson: I just put up a video on my YouTube chan...
Comment from Don: I've had this happen with the original N...
Comment from vlad theodor: Camera overheating (my a33) - at 25-27 C...
Comment from dts: european price are going down, especiall...
EvanZ
9 months ago |The manual actually says a solution for the overheating is to turn off the camera. Those smart Sony folks!
William
9 months ago |And I’d thought they’d ask you to dip it in ice water. Sheeshh..
acolyte
9 months ago |I did put my laptop in the freezer when it was overheating due to excessive gaming.
Ingmar
9 months ago |I also can confirm the overheating issues. Had this two or three times on saturday while I was out to test my new NEX-5n. It was at about 20 to 25 degree celsius if the camera was running some time, you don’t have to record 10 minutes. I got it at about 4 minutes of record. But as said, camera was on some time.
But in most cases you don’t have recordings which are that long and the footage is so great. You can find my first test clips on http://www.irieger.net/blogposts/11
knurd
9 months ago |Wow, really nice footage! Except the spiders….I hate spiders
John
9 months ago |How did you import the footage in FCPX?
As far as i know , fcpx doesnt import 50p….
Ingmar Rieger
9 months ago |Yes, import the most annoying part of FCPX. The 25p footage is no problem and for the 50p footage I wrote a little script converting the MTS-files to Quicktime-Files via ffmpeg. I’ll post it this evening when I’m at my desktop machine (and when it’s a bit more user friendly
.
Ingmar Rieger
9 months ago |I polished my script a bit now and here it is: https://github.com/irieger/mts2mov
Nawaf
9 months ago |Thanks for the video! Looking real good. What picture profile or style did you use?
Keep it coming
Ingmar
9 months ago |Thanks, I’m always happy to get some nice comments
I mostly used the manual mode, with Auto Whitebalance and Creative Style on standard. For some clips I corrected the exposure a little(!) bit downwards but maybe I overexposured a bit while the monitor was set to lowest brightness.
I’m going to publish some more about the NEX on my blog in the coming days, so stay tuned
Nawaf
9 months ago |Looking forward to it. Already bookmarked
EvanZ
9 months ago |Curious, how are you embedding that video? Are you using html5?
Ingmar
9 months ago |Yes, it’s html5. I’m using http://videojs.com/ + a resolution selector. I think it was that script I adapted to fit my needs: http://help.videojs.com/discussions/suggestions/14-implemented-format-and-quality-selector
Steve Jones
9 months ago |“typical 85 degree (Fahrenheit) night in the Summer”
Not in England it isn’t…
Bandrews
9 months ago |Yeah, exactly. Overheating is something we never really have to worry about. Having said that, even if it did get that hot, it wouldn’t affect me AS SONY STILL HAVEN’T RELEASED IT IN THE UK YET! Hoping jessops get it soon – they’ve already got my money……
ANDY
9 months ago |I Cancelled mine from jessops got money back next day and bought from HK will have it by end of week…customs tax already paid for…and still 50 quid cheaper than jessops
5n wont be in proper outlets until november in UK
Pablo
9 months ago |I bought it from HKG, cause the guy from the SONY distribution firm told me, that for the 5N or the N7 I would have to wait 3-4 months. Which I obviously wasn’t able. It will be shipped tomorrow, and hopefully within one week in my paws. (I bought the sexy white body only and the EVF!>
Bandrews
9 months ago |Seriously? Are there any disadvantages to ordering from HK?
Zstan
9 months ago |You lose your warranty.
michel v
9 months ago |You can get hit with massive import tax if you’re unlucky.
(And it can take long to ship.)
ANDY
9 months ago |depends who you buy from digitalrev are okay..they do refund any added tax/customs if you send them a scan/photo of the charge slip
andy
9 months ago |I wonder if the overheating issue is fixable in firmware?
Is it possible to program a higher cutoff temperature limit or somehow reduce power consumption? A factory recall would be a bummer.
emarsh
9 months ago |Well, they released a whole new updated model, the 5n. That is a huge firmware upgrade. If it overheats now, there is no cure for it. At least, it was in muggy miami when this overheated, so it might now be too bad of a problem. But still, this overheat business is getting old. I never hear of other brands doing this, panasonic,canon,nikon, etc. Just Sony. Maybe other brands do have this problem, but I just never hear of it like I do about the Sony’s.
c.d.embrey
9 months ago |If you believe the Canon forums, there was a major overheating problem with some Canon DSLR.
Zstan
9 months ago |Only Sony was honest to tell the world about this over heating issue whereas canon and nikon just kept quiet.
Frank
9 months ago |Nice footage… I want one.
Will
9 months ago |Sounds about right – wasn’t the 65 said to overheat on video after 9 minutes? So, 9 or 10 minutes for the NEX-5N sounds correct.
It isn’t a defect, it’s a design limitation.
Flash
9 months ago |As did the 55
Zstan
9 months ago |That’s why electronic stabilization came in. And I dun think a65 had over heating issues. It was already solved in a35 I think.
pancanikonpus
9 months ago |Panasonic GH2 doesnt have this over heat issue
is design relate. entire imaging industry in filming over heat prevention is lead by Panasonic right now and onward 
Curious on nex7 fate lol
Almazar80
9 months ago |Smaller sensor, less heat generated. Larger sensor size have some points in their favor, however. There is no perfect system, there will always be a compromise (or two or three). One should get the tool that allows them to create/express their vision/ideas with the compromises that they are comfortable with. The camera just came out, and you are already saying that one man’s observation is what everyone else should expect. I think a sample size of one among thousands may not be enough to have an accurate view of the situation?
Almazar80
9 months ago |I turned on my 5n with the 18-55mm kit lens, pressed the record button, placed the camera on the table. At ISO 1600 and about 76F ambient, the camera recorded 28:34 before shutting down due to heat. Since the camera is supposed to have about a 29 minute continous recording limit, I guess that’s not too bad. Of course, with different conditions the record time before overheating may vary. Just another sample point for consideration.
Prasad
9 months ago |ANDREA, when you get your camera, could you please post your experience with the overheating issues? Its such a shame Sony could not sort out such a basic issue. I think one of the main reasons for this is the tight packaging inside the ultra tiny body. Why are Sony trying to make everything miniature without testing its technical feasibility?
Zak
9 months ago |This is making me want a 5N over a 65, but it costs so much here in the UK with the Phase detection adapter and viewfinder, grrrrrr!
andy
9 months ago |The adapter is going to cost $$$, better off getting the 5N and A35 IMO.
Aldo
9 months ago |This is solved with a firmware update .. I do not think Sony are so stupid to get something new without doing performance testing, sure that this problem only with certain cameras and what not all …
andy
9 months ago |I’ve just been reading that the NEX-5 also had overheating issues, although they don’t seem to be as bad as what people are reporting for the 5N. Maybe it’s just something we have to live with. As long as it doesn’t occur during still shooting.
Christopher
9 months ago |I noticed that my 5n felt hot to the touch after shooting stills for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, which I did not notice with my Nex 3 last year. It never turned off however, but it was hot enough that it made me concerned it could be an issue. (I was indoors at room temp).
dangerbane
9 months ago |err … I think most of the NEX are like hotcake after shooting stills / movie for quite some time
I had tried holding my friend NEX 3 for half hour photo shooting and soon I can easily feel that the camera is getting hot …
Marc
9 months ago |@Emarsh
“But still, this overheat business is getting old. I never hear of other brands doing this, panasonic,canon,nikon, etc. Just Sony. Maybe other brands do have this problem, but I just never hear of it like I do about the Sony’s.”
I’m constantly having problems on Canon’s 5DMKII and 7D during video shoots. On my last assignment, we had to shut down the cameras for 10 minutes with ice packs on top in order to cool them.
emarsh
9 months ago |The alternative way to look at it, I suppose, is it’s just a reality that electronics get hot, and it is better to have a mechanism to shut it down before it damages itself. But, it is something to be aware of, because I could definately see wanting to record a ceremony, such as a graduation , for 30 minutes in a row. This just isn’t made for it, but it can give very good video for short time spans. Besides, the still images are great on it, as well as the ability to use old manual lenses from basically any old maker. There are far more positives to the NEX than negatives.
Joey C
9 months ago |If you can achieve video results like that with the kit I can only imagine what is going to be possible with the a65 and the new 16-50 2.8
I find it interesting that you have to buy the a65 body only and then add the new lens instead of being able to buy it as a package.
klumzi
9 months ago |henrys canada offers a65 with 16-50/2.8 at 1699CDN. maybe other region too
Armando
9 months ago |Yes, this overheating issue is true and happens pretty often with the 5n vs the 5 which barely happens but does.
Didn’t really think other people were having issues, but I’ll confirm, mine shutoff today at lunch after 10ish minutes, was just recording video.
TophBoogie
9 months ago |http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgqhc2ChIFg 12m23sec Temp indicator / 23m22sec shutdown Damn shame
dangerbane
9 months ago |Well similar to EOS DSLR in my opinion … my 60D can only withstand around 12min ~ 20 min
Wheelus
9 months ago |Hey Admin, whatever happened to SonyAlphaRumors? No updates for two weeks. We are hungry for full frame rumors.
pancanikonpus
9 months ago |Make . believe = failed
lol…. Sony doesn’t move there for nex line up
bandrews
9 months ago |Hmmm… yeah, ’cause Canon and Nikon are really pushing boundaries right now.
Cliff
9 months ago |Sony doesn’t’ want these cameras to run cool for long video shots. That is the reason why these cameras don’t. It’s NOT a mistake or flaw.
Sony wants you to buy a NEX VG 20. Same sensor and no overheat or video limits.
acolyte
9 months ago |Yeah I don’t understand. Why do people expect they can put 32478923475893 features in a <$1200 camera?
Too many features leads a product to failure too. I applaud Sony engineers for being able to distinguish what is important and what is not.
Customers asking for the impossible is what caused the software my team works on to fail. Especially when another customer does NOT want it.
neodraig
9 months ago |The overheating problem maybe occurs because the NEX-5N is recording in 1080P, so the data rate is higher than with the NEX-5 or the NEX-C3 (less overheating).
Recording at a lower resolution may fix the problem but sadly one can’t record in 720p with the NEX-5N
Aldo
9 months ago |It is very likely what you say (that means the NEX 7 will also have this problem), but it is also true that with a firmware update can be solved .. is not a physical design problem .. hopefully sony fix this with new firmware
Will
9 months ago |What kind of firmware update? An update that says “let the sensor melt” rather than shut down at a particular temperature?
Aldo
9 months ago |I mean An update firmware to improve the flow of data and better control the energy of the camera, so that overheating is less .. that is possible.
Examples like the X-box 360, Canon 7D, or other devices where overheating was a problem, could be solved with a simple update
Cliff
9 months ago |It’s not hard for Sony to add every feature known to man into a $1200 camera. They just wont do that because they have another Sony-made competing product a couple of hundred dollars (or less) higher or lower.
When you are Sony and you have soooo MANY products priced so closely together, you need to create divisions between them and crippling functions are a BIG part of that.
dts
9 months ago |european price are going down, especially in france, now if they would only deliver to denmark
http://www.saugeot-photos.net/index.php?manufacturers_id=74&sort=2a&filter_id=227
http://www.webdistrib.com/cat/APN-SONY-NEX5N-noir-%2B-18-55mm-__p_789645.html
vlad theodor
9 months ago |Camera overheating (my a33) – at 25-27 Celsius degrees on the beach !!!
(Any unnecessary options like “steady shot” was turned off.)
Don
9 months ago |I’ve had this happen with the original NEX-5 on occasion. The magnesium frame dissipates heat well anyway.
One time I was asked to cover a dance recital, so to remedy this, I put a coldpack on the back. Looked ugly, but the camera ran for an hour/half easy and was pretty mild to the touch. I could have went much longer if I carried extra batteries and needed to go longer.
Aron Anderson
5 days ago |I just put up a video on my YouTube channel. Its a mod that puts an end to my Sony NEX 5N over heating. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhW1dbeGIaE&list=PL4030B34F4B40FAC8&index=1&feature=plcp