Sony Xperia 5 V review

Dual-camera on the back, 2x zoom is now in-sensor

The biggest change this year is the retirement of the telephoto camera. The Xperia 5 V has a dual camera on the back with a 48MP main and a 12MP ultrawide cameras. The selfie camera is Sony's latest 12MP imager.

There is still high-quality 2x zoom available, but it's not done on the main camera with some in-sensor tricks.

The primary camera is the same as on the flagship Sony Xperia 1 V. It uses the Sony ExmorT IMX 888 sensor - it's a multi-aspect 1/1.35" imager with 52MP resolution (48MP effective), 1.12µm pixels, and it sits behind stabilized (OIS) 24mm f/1.9 lens.

The new ExmorT is an upgrade over the stacked structure of the ExmorRS generation - it has the photodiodes and their corresponding transistors on two separate layers instead of sitting one next to the other in a conventional manner. While requiring micron-level alignment accuracy, it has also meant the photodiodes are now larger, collecting light twice as well and also up to three times higher saturation levels. The transistors sitting on a separate layer have also been optimized, which has resulted in a cleaner signal with less noise.

The 4.3:3 multi-aspect sensor has a larger area than the mainstream 4:3 sensor, and this can be used to improve video stabilization.

The ultrawide camera is also the same as on the Xperia 1 V - it uses a 12MP Sony IMX 563 1/2.55" sensor with 1.4µm pixels sitting behind a 16mm f/2.2 lens. This camera also supports Dual Pixel AF but not macro photography.

Lastly, the selfie camera packs a 12MP Sony IMX 663 1/2.9" sensor with 1.0µm pixels behind a 20mm f/2.0 lens and a fixed focus at infinity.

The Photo Pro and Video Pro apps support vertical UI, and the Photo Pro's Basic Mode now supports 4K video capturing at 30, 60 and 120fps - there is no need to use Video Pro for that if you don't want to tweak things by yourself. Nice! A slow-mo option is also available in Photo Pro Basic.

Just like on the Xperia 1 V, the Xperia 5 V has a new S-Cinetone picture profile for the Video Pro app, which has a moody look with enhanced skin tones and cinematic color. For someone who's not familiar with S-Log or color grading, it provides a nice default output.

Product Showcase mode is available, too, borrowed from the Alpha cameras, which is aimed at product vloggers, and allows the camera to auto-focus on the product you are holding instead of your face.

Sony also promises an improved Bokeh mode even compared to Xperia 1 V.

Photo Pro (default app)

The default camera app on the Xperia 5 V is Sony's Photo Pro. Its Basic mode is where you'll spend most of your point-and-shooting time when you don't care much about creative control. There is one new feature here - Night View. It's either Auto or OFF, and it's basically the Night Mode we have been waiting for. According to Sony it's more conservative and triggers in darker environments than the competition. The only indication you will get if the Night View is about to trigger is the color change of its shortcut (from white to orange).

The sliders for (implied) white balance and exposure compensation, bokeh mode, drive mode, flash and aspect ratio are placed immediately next to the shutter release. The zoom selector is nearby, too, so pretty much everything can be operated with a single thumb without having to use your other hand. And you can use either the hardware or the virtual shutter keys.

At the opposite end of the viewfinder, and for these, you'll need your other hand, you'll find a More button, a shortcut to Google Lens, a Menu button to access the (rather lengthy) Settings menu, and the button that lets you switch between this Basic mode/app and its Pro alter ego.

Around here, when in Video capturing mode, you will see a switch for Slow-Mo. And, when capturing videos in this basic mode, you can now choose from the complete array of supported resolutions and frame rates. Finally!

Basic UI

When in the Pro section of Photography Pro, you get an Auto mode, as well as the classic Program, Shutter priority and Manual modes, plus a Memory Recall option where you can store a pre-set state of settings to be able to come back to quickly.

Pro UI

The Photo Pro interface is reminiscent of a dedicated Sony Alpha camera, only adapted for smartphone use. On the right, you get to change photographic settings like focus mode and area, white balance and ISO, and exposure compensation. There is no virtual shutter here; you'd need to use the mechanical one.

Video Pro

The Video Pro app is also available on the Xperia 5 V. This app offers granular exposure controls and extra frame rates on top of the basic app but saves you the hassle of color-grading the footage afterward (we have Cinema Pro for that). That makes it suitable for direct out-of-camera (phone) uploads to your favorite video-sharing platforms.

Live streaming on YouTube is available via this app, too. You log in with your account, set the name, quality, and just hit Rec, and you are live. You don't even need to meet the YouTube requirements for the minimum subscriber count; Sony has made a deal with YouTube to eliminate those for Xperia users.

Video Pro

Cinema Pro

Cinema Pro is the most advanced app that Sony has and offers nuanced control over all aspects of the shooting process. It supports many frame rates and resolutions, but they are in a 21:9 aspect ratio - that's really the only ratio in this app. You get the final say on the shutter speed (which you pick by shutter angle), ISO and f-stop (where applicable), as well as white balance and 'look' - sort of like a color profile of which there are a bunch (Venice CS, Opaque/BU60YE60, Bright/BU20YE60, and so on). A -2 to +2EV indicator scale in the bottom left of the viewfinder will tell you how far off you are from the metered exposure level.

One of Cinema Pro's most useful features is the ability to rack focus between pre-set focus distances (A-B) with control over the duration of the transition. There's also tap-to-focus functionality, but there's no tracking, so if your subject moves within the frame, the phone won't follow it - instead, it will focus on whatever is in the box where you tapped.

Focus peaking is available, too.

Cinema Pro

Daylight photo quality

Sony Xperia 5 V's main camera saves 12MP binned photos, and they have Sony written all over them, so to speak. The photos are excellent across the board, and among the best you can get on a smartphone in 2023.

The samples we took are abundant in detail, the noise is low if any, the white balance and the colors rendition are accurate, and the contrast is high. The dynamic range deserves praise, and the processing handles the tonal extremes very well.

Finally, we would never get tired of praising Sony's balanced processing and natural look across the photos - everything from the foliage and the intricate random detail through people's faces, to cars and buildings - looks pleasing and, well, just right.

Main camera, 12MP

Here comes the elephant in the room. There is a dedicated 2x zoom shortcut on the viewfinder, as promised, and the phone snaps easily 12MP zoomed photos.

We must admit we did expect a turn for the worst, and we are very happy to report that did not happen. The 2x zoomed photos are identical in quality to 2.5x zoomed ones from the Xperia 5 IV's telephoto camera.

They do offer a lot of resolved detail and likable sharpness; the natural processing is here to stay, and we did not observe artifacts from the in-sensor zoom (read crop from the 48MP center). While the per-pixel detail cannot be on par with the standard 1x output, it is the same as what Sony has offered from its previous telephoto camera.

Colors, contrast, dynamic range - they all match the excellence of the regular 1x photos.

Sony says the daylight photos should be on par with the Xperia 5 IV's and they are, but the big difference should come in low light, where we should be getting much better results than on the Xperia 5 IV as far as zoomed images are concerned. But we will get to that in a bit.

2x zoom, 12MP

The 12MP ultrawide camera saves outstanding photos, and it has to be one of the best within the smartphone range. There is plenty of detail, spot-on sharpness, low enough noise, and the impressive color accuracy, white balance and natural rendition remain. The dynamic range remains wide, and the contrast is high.

The extreme corners are expectedly soft and a bit noisy, but they are processed and straightened out very well.

Ultrawide camera, 12MP

Sony has promised us an improved Bokeh (Portrait) mode, and it surely delivered. The standard (non-zoomed) portraits are impressive - the subject has been separated from the background with great proficiency, and it is detailed, sharp, colorful, and well-exposed. There is no noise, and the dynamic range is wide.

Oh, the background has been blurred, absolutely lovely.

Portraits

The 2x zoomed portraits are also pretty good. They do suffer from a minor drop in the detail and the global sharpness, but they are still almost as great as the regular ones and will do just fine.

Portraits 2x zoom

The 12MP selfies are exemplary. They are detailed and sharp, with a wide dynamic range, good contrast, and accurate colors. The natural rendition remains at play, of course.

Selfie camera, 12MP