Budding photographers will know the NEX line from Sony well. A device that rests in-between Sony’s compacts and their Alpha dSLR range, the NEX offers a great compromise with interchangeable lenses and portability. They’ve been making the NEX cameras for some time now, and with this latest member of the family Sony is embracing Android, and smartphones in general, a little bit more. While Samsung is bringing Android into the camera, Sony is simply bringing the two things closer together with this, the NEX 5T.
The NEX 5T brings NFC and WiFi together to make connecting to smartphones incredibly easy. You can share images by simply tapping the two together and by connecting the devices together using WiFi you can use a smartphone or tablet as a remote viewfinder for the camera. You can also adjust common settings and then take the shot there and then, which is pretty great if you’re waiting beside a tripod for “the shot”. With Sony’s “PlayMemories” app, which is available for both Android and iOS you can share videos and photos over WiFi, for devices that don’t feature NFC, or you know, the iPhone.
These features will work with Android devices running Android 4.0 or higher, which should be most users by now. Overall, the NEX 5T is more of an evolution of the NEX line but, it is nice to see Sony embrace connectivity technologies a little more like this. We’re pretty sure that many of you out there wish your current camera could connect to your smartphone. I, for one, wish my aging yet brilliant Fuji X10 had this sort of functionality. Meanwhile, Samsung has been doing this sort of thing for some time with their NX line so, it’s good to see Sony finally step up.
The NEX 5T will be available in the US from September for $700, with a 16-50mm lens or for $550 on its own. What do you guys think? Is this something you’d be interested in?