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Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
60
Imaging
47
Features
54
Overall
49
Olympus E-30 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
69
Overall
61

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Olympus E-30
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 695g - 142 x 108 x 75mm
  • Released March 2009
Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced October 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-5
  • New Model is Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

The following is a thorough review of the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-5N, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-30 was released 3 years before the NEX-5N which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-30 matches up vs the NEX-5N in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-30 over the Sony NEX-5N

 E-30 NEX-5N 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Olympus E-30

 NEX-5N E-30 
IntroducedOctober 2011March 2009Newer by 30 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-5N

 E-30 NEX-5N 
Focus manually Very exact focusing

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 has exterior dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5N has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-5N in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-30 versus the NEX-5N.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and NEX-5N is 60 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading technical specs. The picture here may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and NEX-5N.

As you can tell, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-30 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony NEX-5N will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-30 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
74
you can focus manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-30 Street photography features
Sony NEX-5N Street photography features
72
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
80
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
offers focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-30 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography information
52
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (750 CIPA)
58
MP count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good battery life (460 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-30 Travel photography advice
Sony NEX-5N Travel photography advice
49
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (750 CIPA)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
71
good battery life (460 CIPA)
offers focus via touch
MP count good (16MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
does not posses selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-30 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Landscape photography camera
52
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.7 inches)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (750 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
71
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (460 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-30
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5N
18
no video shooting
33
touchscreen functionality
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
does not have microphone support
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Olympus E-30 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-30 and Sony NEX-5N
 Olympus E-30Sony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-30 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2009-03-24 2011-10-03
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal II LCD Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Manual, Fill, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Slow sync 2nd curtain, Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 695 gr (1.53 pounds) 269 gr (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 142 x 108 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 77
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.7
DXO Low light rating 530 1079
Other
Battery life 750 pictures 460 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) / xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $1,299 $550