The pictures you are taking don’t come out as expected, and are often too dark with low visibility on objects being shot
The lighting of the scene that the camera is trying to take a picture of may be too dim. Try moving to an area of better lighting or illuminating the area with an artificial light.
Keep in mind, a camera cannot necessarily capture what a person can see with the human eye.
The Sony NEX-5R does not have a built-in flash component and requires a separable flash attachment that functions as the camera’s flash. Make sure that the flash attachment is attached to the camera, and that it is properly in place to insure proper functioning.
The flash setting on the camera may be turned off, on a setting that is too low, or the auto-flash may not be triggered by the scene. Go into the menu and select “Camera,” from there you should see the option, “Flash Mode.” Select “Fill-flash” to ensure that your flash will go off.
The exposure setting of the camera controls how much light is captured by the camera in each picture. Try increasing the exposure settings of the camera by going into the menu and selecting “Brightness/Color.” From here you should see the option “Exposure Comp.” Select this and decrease the amount of light the camera is using to take pictures.
If you have made sure that the flash attachment is secured properly and the flash setting is turned to “On” but you are still getting dark pictures, the motherboard components relating to the flash function may be malfunctioning. Check out our guide for the replacement of the motherboard:
Sony NEX-5R Motherboard Replacement
The pictures that you are taking are too light or have some areas that are too bright that may be obscuring the objects in the image.
The lighting in the scene that the picture is being taken in may be too bright. Try moving to an area of less intense light or filtering/ blocking the source of the light.
The flash setting may be turned on and could be the reason for the overexposed pictures. Try adjusting the flash settings to turn the flash “Off” or on “Auto”.
If the flash is still going off while taking pictures, the flash attachment may be removed. By removing the flash attachment, the camera’s flash function will be disabled and this may help remedy overexposed pictures.
If none of these fixes have worked so far, it’s most likely that the settings on your camera are creating the light pictures. Try going into the menu and selecting “Brightness/Color.” From here you should see the option “Exposure Comp.” Select this and decrease the amount of light the camera is using to take pictures.
Despite how pictures appear on screen when focusing, the pictures always turn out blurry and out of focus
Blurry photos are either caused by shaking the camera or incorrect focusing. Try using a tripod or resting the camera on a stable surface when taking a picture, especially in low light environments.
To focus the Sony NEX-5R, always press down the shutter button halfway to allow the camera to focus. This setting is built in and should always be utilized to focus pictures.
Setting a faster shutter speed exposes your camera to a smaller amount of light and may help if the subject is moving quickly. You can accomplish this by going into the Shoot Mode menu, and selecting the “Shutter Priority” option. Once in this submenu, you are able to increase (or decrease) shutter speed.
If none of the other solutions worked, the problem may be the autofocus setting in the camera. Try going into the Camera menu and selecting “Autofocus mode.” From here select “Continuous AF.” With this setting, the Sony NEX-5R will continue to focus as long as the shutter-button is halfway pressed down. This feature allows for more focused pictures.
Nothing appears on the LCD screen
If you don’t see anything on your screen, it might just be because your camera is turned off. Make sure the power switch is in the “On” position.
It is also possible that nothing is appearing on your screen because your settings are set for a low brightness. You can fix this by going to the Setup menu and selecting “LCD Brightness.” You have a few different options as to how you want to change your brightness, but selecting “Manual” will allow you to change the brightness to your specifications.
If neither of these fixes have worked, your screen is most likely broken. Check out our replacement guide for the LCD screen to replace the broken screen:
Sony NEX-5R LCD Screen Replacement
No matter what you do, you can’t get your Sony NEX-5R to turn on.
Before delving into the guts of your Sony NEX-5R, make sure that the power switch is in the “On” position.
If your Sony NEX-5R won’t turn on it may also be because your battery is dead. Try removing the battery pack and charging it. Replace the battery once it is fully charged and try to turn on the camera again.
It is possible that nothing is appearing because the LCD screen is broken. If you can see that the green light (next to the power switch) is on when the camera is on, your LCD screen needs to be replaced. Use our guide here for help in getting it replaced:
If none of these fixes have worked for you, the problem most likely lies in the motherboard. You can follow along with our repair guide here to see how to replace it:
The external lens will not attach or stay attached to the lens mount on the camera.
The lens can only attach to the camera in a specific manner. The lens cannot be snapped, pushed, or slid on. To attach the lens properly to the camera, make sure that back end of the lens is flush to the lens attachment of the camera. There should be a white dot on the side of the lens and on the flash attachment area of the camera as well. Line up these two white dots and the lens should fit snugly into the flash attachment of the camera. Turn the lens to right while it is fitted into the camera, and the lens should lock into place.
Visually inspect the threading on both the lens mount on the camera and the threading on the lens. If either of these are damaged or missing, then they should be replaced. If the lens falls out when correctly attached, or if the lens has a lot of resistance when twisting into place, the lens threading is damaged. See the replacement guide to reinstall a new lens mount.
Sony NEX-5R Lens Mount Replacement
Your screen is on, but it’s hard to make out what’s on the screen.
The easiest option is to try to clean your screen with a microfiber cleaning cloth. Make sure to wipe the screen gently and not use any liquid cleaners or water.
If cleaning your screen did not yield any results, your screen most likely has permanent damage that cannot be undone. You can follow along with our repair guide on how to replace your LCD screen.
