Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7
59 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
84 Imaging
63 Features
71 Overall
66
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 1.8" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
- Launched November 2003
- Newer Model is Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
- Revealed December 2011
Photography Glossary Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview
Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-7, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsThe E-1 was introduced 9 years before the NEX-7 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-1 matches up against the NEX-7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony NEX-7
| E-1 | NEX-7 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-1
| NEX-7 | E-1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | December 2011 | November 2003 | More recent by 97 months | |
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 1.8" | Bigger screen (+1.2") | |
| Screen resolution | 921k | 134k | Clearer screen (+787k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-7
| E-1 | NEX-7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | More accurate focus | |||
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | No Touch screen |
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 enjoys external measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).
See the Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-1 versus the NEX-7.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and NEX-7 is 59 and 84 respectively.
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison
Often, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through specifications. The graphic here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and NEX-7.
Plainly, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-1 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-7 will render extra detail using its extra 19MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesStreet Comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesSports Comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banTravel Comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneLandscape Comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsVlogging Comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications
| Olympus E-1 | Sony Alpha NEX-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus E-1 | Sony Alpha NEX-7 |
| Class | Pro DSLR | Advanced Mirrorless |
| Launched | 2003-11-29 | 2011-12-13 |
| Body design | Large SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 5 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 2560 x 1920 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Highest native ISO | 3200 | 16000 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW images | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 3 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Amount of lenses | 45 | 121 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display size | 1.8" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 134k dot | 921k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | 0.73x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 3.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 6.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 735g (1.62 pounds) | 400g (0.88 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") | 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | not tested | 81 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 24.1 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 13.4 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 1016 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | - | 430 photographs |
| Type of battery | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | - | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images)) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II) | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Retail pricing | $1,700 | $699 |