Canon EOS 7D Mark II vs Sony NEX-5T

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and the Sony NEX-5T, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II was introduced in September 2014 and Sony NEX-5T was introduced in August 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 7D Mark II over Sony NEX-5T.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony NEX-5T over Canon EOS 7D Mark II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 7D Mark II and Sony NEX-5T have 3.0" screens with 1,040k dot and 922k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a Fixed screen Sony NEX-5T has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Sony NEX-5T also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Sony NEX-5T) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 1x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Sony NEX-5T does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II features a 20.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.4 x 15 mm and a total area of 336 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 16,000 and expands to 100 - 51,200 in boosted mode. Sony NEX-5T features a 16.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.4 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 7D Mark II is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4104 x 2736 (M-Raw), 3648 x 2432, 2736 x 1824, 1920 x 1080, 720 x 480 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sony NEX-5T is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 4912 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4912 x 2760, 3568 x 2368, 3568 x 2000, 2448 x 1624, 2448 x 1376 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Sony NEX-5T has Sony E lens mount. They both have APS-C sensor but because of a small size difference their crop factors (also called lens multiplier) differ from each other. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has the crop factor of 1.6x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Sony NEX-5T has the crop factor of 1.5x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 7D Mark II it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony NEX-5T nothing can be done. On Sony NEX-5T it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 7D Mark II nothing can be done.

Built-in GPS on Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony NEX-5T

Sony NEX-5T has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony NEX-5T

Sony NEX-5T has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a Mini HDMI and Sony NEX-5T has a Mini Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 7D Mark II comes with LP-E6N battery pack with battery life of 670 shots and Sony NEX-5T comes with NPFW50 battery pack with battery life of 330 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Sony NEX-5T has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Electronically Controlled Vertical-travel Mechanical Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 7D Mark II, and up to 1/4000 sec on Sony NEX-5T. Cameras can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 65 (65 cross-type) focusing points and Sony NEX-5T has 99 (25 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 7D Mark II ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 7D Mark II and ±3 EV range on Sony NEX-5T. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 7D Mark II and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony NEX-5T.

Flash

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. Sony NEX-5T has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Proprietary. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS 7D Mark II and 1/160 sec on Sony NEX-5T.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II body has dimensions of 149 x 112 x 78 mm (5.87 x 4.41 x 3.07") and Sony NEX-5T body has dimensions of 111 x 59 x 39 mm (4.36 x 2.31 x 1.53"). Canon EOS 7D Mark II weighs 910 g (2.01 lb / 32.10 oz) and Sony NEX-5T weighs 276 g (0.61 lb / 9.74 oz).

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Sony NEX-5T

149 mm

112 mm

111 mm

59 mm

112 mm

59 mm

78 mm

39 mm