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Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
64
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(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
Sony NEX-7
(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
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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.

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The 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.

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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 
RevealedDecember 2011November 2003More recent by 97 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution921k134kClearer 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography information
46
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
does not have liveview
low resolution sensor (5 megapixels)
78
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Street photography camera
57
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
lighter than others (735 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
76
screen tilts up and down
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Sports photography camera
40
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (5 megapixels)
62
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great battery power (430 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography highlights
47
lighter than others (735g)
weather sealing
no Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (5 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly screen
70
great battery power (430 CIPA)
good megapixels (24MP)
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography details
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography details
46
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inch)
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (5 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
72
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
great battery power (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
35
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone jack
doesn't have selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus E-1Sony 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