I'm considering the purchase of a Sony NEX camera that is more portable. I'm trying to decide between the NEX-C3 or 5N. Obviously, the NEX-5N has better video capability, an optional EVF (don't know how much I'd use this - if I want a good viewfinder I have a couple of DSLRs), and nicer ergonomics. But beyond that, are there any other points that would justify spending the $150 USD premium a NEX-5N with 18-55mm lens commands over an NEX-C3?
We found the post from the Sony α NEX forum and we learn some discussion about the Sony NEX-C3 vs. Sony NEX-5N. Let’s have a quick view of the spec highlights of the two cameras first.
Sony NEX-C3 specification highlights:
Revised 16.2MP CMOS sensor
ISO 200-12800
Creative Control results-orientated user interface
Picture Effects processing options
720p30 HD movies in MPEG-4 format
Sony NEX-5N specification highlights:
Touch-screen display
Electronic First Curtain shutter
Revised 16.1MP CMOS sensor
ISO 100-25600
10fps continuous shooting mode (at full resolution)
In-camera CA, vignetting and distortion correction
Auto ISO limit of 3200 (increased from ISO 1600 in NEX-5)
Creative Control results-orientated user interface
Picture Effects processing options
1080p 60p HD movies in AVCHD format
From the above spec highlights of the NEX-C3 and 5N, we can obviously find that the NEX-5N has better video capability for 1080p full HD video and faster burst shooting. If you usually like shooting videos, the NEX-5N will be your better choice, although it costs at least $100 extra. At meanwhile, some users would raise the confusion that Sony NEX-5N record videos in 1080p 60p HD movies in AVCHD format; while, Sony NEX-C3 record videos in 720p30 HD movies in MPEG-4 format. What are the Pros and Cons of AVCHD format over mp4 for editing in some Mac tool like iPhoto, iMovie, FCP, FCE, iDVD, etc?
As a matter of fact, when it comes to codecs, there isn't really a big difference, since AVCHD is nothing but a (slightly more restrictive) standard for H.264 (which is an mpeg4 compression), and MP4 is a container that contains an mpeg4 compressed stream. So the main difference is in the way that the video stream is stored.
The AVCHD format you can not just copy-paste to your hard drive and directly work with in an editing program. It needs to be "imported from camera". In newer NLE software like FCP X, this is very fast and will just copy the stream into a usable .mov-container on your hard drive. However, in older versions of Final Cut Pro, as well as in iMovie, the codec will not be used natively but be recoded to ProRes on import. This means that on one hand, your editing program will run faster and smoother since you are dealing with less compressed files, but on the other hand, the import will take some time and use a large amount of disk space. But it will do so no matter if you import from AVCHD or MP4 containers. Both Sony cameras use H.264 as compression codec, and if your editing software can not handle it natively, it will convert it to some huge files.
Tips and Tricks for Sony NEX-5N:
Some users would still get some troubles when intend to import Sony NEX-5N AVCHD to iMovie/FCP/FCE for editing due to the AVCHD is not a perfect editable format for these nonlinear video editing software.
You can get the best Sony AVCHD Converter for Mac to help you to convert the Sony NEX-5N 1080p MTS/M2TS to FCP/iMovie/FCE most compatible format: Apple ProRes for Final Cut Pro, AIC for FCE, iMovie.
Sony NEX-5N 1080p AVCHD to AIC for FCE
Sony NEX-5N 1080p MTS/M2TS to ProRes for FCP
Sony NEX-5N AVCHD to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 Mac
Tips and Tricks for Sony NEX-C3:
As above mentioned Sony NEX-C3 can generate 720p30 MP4 video, while, if you wanna edit Sony NEX-C3 720p MP4 in FCP without rendering, you’d better transcode Sony NEX-C3 MP4 video to FCP favorable format first before importing and editing.
We recommend you the best H.264 MP4 to Apple ProRes Converter for Final Cut Pro, which enables you to convert and transcode Sony NEX-C3 h.264 .mp4 to Apple ProRes on Mac for FCP keeping the best output video quality. This software can also work for encoding Sony NEX-C3 H.264 MP4 to iMovie, FCE, etc on Mac.
Related guide:
Transcode Sony NEX-5N AVCHD 1080p MTS/M2TS to ProRes for FCP on Mac OS Lion
Convert/Transcode Sony NEX-5N AVCHD 1080p MTS files to AIC for FCE 4
Deinterlace Sony NEX-F3 1080/60i MTS video on Mac OS X
Best solution to importing Sony NEX-F3 AVCHD to iMovie on Mac
Convert Sony NEX-7 AVCHD 1080/60p MTS/M2TS to AIC for FCE
Edit Sony NEX-5N AVCHD in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5
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