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Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
69
Overall
61

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Introduced January 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-300
  • Replacement is Olympus E-330
Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Released October 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-5
  • Later Model is Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-300 versus Sony NEX-5N, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

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The E-300 was manufactured 7 years before the NEX-5N which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-300 matches up against the NEX-5N when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Sony NEX-5N

 E-300 NEX-5N 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Olympus E-300

 NEX-5N E-300 
ReleasedOctober 2011January 2005Newer by 81 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution920k134kCrisper display (+786k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Sony NEX-5N

 E-300 NEX-5N 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-300 comes with outer measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") having a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while 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).

Take a look at the Olympus E-300 versus Sony NEX-5N in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-300 compared to the NEX-5N.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and NEX-5N is 67 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading technical specs. The pic underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and NEX-5N.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-300 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-5N will deliver extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography features
Sony NEX-5N Street photography features
51
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
80
screen tilts
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography advice
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
58
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery life (460 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-300
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5N
45
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
71
great battery life (460 shots)
boasts focus via touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
doesn't have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-300
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5N
43
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
small screen (1.8 inches)
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
does not have Timelapse function
71
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
megapixel count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (460 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
33
has touchscreen
offers face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Sony NEX-5N
 Olympus E-300Sony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-300 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Other name EVOLT E-300 -
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2005-01-10 2011-10-03
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 400 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
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 3 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 1.8" 3"
Display resolution 134k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
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)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 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 624 grams (1.38 lb) 269 grams (0.59 lb)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 77
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1079
Other
Battery life - 460 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $800 $550