Olympus E-300 vs Sony NEX-5T

Following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-300 and Sony NEX-5T, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5T (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The E-300 was released 9 years earlier than the NEX-5T which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-300 scores vs the NEX-5T when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-300 & Sony Alpha NEX-5T. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Sony NEX-5T Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 comes with physical dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") having a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5T has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-300 and Sony NEX-5T in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-300 and the NEX-5T.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and NEX-5T is 67 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizes simply by viewing technical specs. The picture here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-300 and NEX-5T.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-300 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-5T will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-300 will be behind in sensor tech.