The NEX 5T is Sony’s latest mid-range mirror-less system camera. Announced in August 2013, it replaces the NEX 5R launched a year previously, and shares most of the key specifications with its predecessor.

As such the NEX 5T features a 16 Megapixel APS-C sensor, a hybrid AF system which embeds phase-detect autofocus points on the sensor for better continuous tracking, built-in Wifi with support for downloadable apps, and a touchscreen display which vertically tilts and can be rotated round to face the subject.

New to the 5T over its predecessor are Near Field Communications, or NFC for short, which greatly simply the Wifi negotiation on compatible devices like the Samsung Galaxy SIII, S4 and Google NEXUS 4, 7 and 10. A mere tap can get them talking and transferring images. NFC is nice to have if your other devices include it, but the absence of anything else that’s new will undoubtedly frustrate many photographers. But equally the NEX 5 series is Sony’s most successful segment in its mirrorless range and there wasn’t much wrong with the earlier 5R. So while owners of that model will see no reason to upgrade to the 5T, new buyers will enjoy the proven performance and features with the added benefit of NFC; hopefully it will also see prices on the older, and almost identical 5R tumble.

The NEX 5T is expected in September at a price of $549 USD (body only) or $699 (with 16-50mm PZ lens). It’s also launched alongside three new lenses, a 16-70mm f4 OSS Zeiss zoom (the first Zeiss zoom for the E-mount), a PZ 18-105mm f4G OSS (the first G series for the E-mount), and a new version of the existing 50mm f1.8 OSS now clad in black. Sony is also introducing a new downloadable lens compensation app, along with updating the smart remote control and direct upload apps, the latter now supporting direct uploads to Flickr.