Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300
58 Imaging
47 Features
76 Overall
58


64 Imaging
49 Features
45 Overall
47
Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
- Revealed February 2011
- Replaced the Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
- 10MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
- Announced January 2008
- Later Model is Sony A330

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Overview
Below is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-5 versus Sony A300, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the A300 (10MP) is fairly comparable but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A300 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

The E-5 was introduced 3 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-5 scores versus the A300 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony A300 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony A300
E-5 | A300 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | February 2011 | ![]() | January 2008 | More recent by 37 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+690k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Olympus E-5
A300 | E-5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony A300
E-5 | A300 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Absent Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 provides physical measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Sony A300 has measurements of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-5 versus Sony A300 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-5 against the A300.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and A300 is 58 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and A300.
Clearly, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-5 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-5 will provide extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger E-5 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A300 Specifications
Olympus E-5 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-5 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 |
Class | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Revealed | 2011-02-03 | 2008-01-30 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic V+ | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 372.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | - |
Maximum resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 3872 x 2592 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 9 |
Cross type focus points | 11 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Amount of lenses | 45 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display size | 3" | 2.7" |
Resolution of display | 920 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | HyperCrystal transmissive LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.49x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 5.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 18.00 m (at ISO 200) | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in | Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/250 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
Video format | Motion JPEG | - |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 800 grams (1.76 lbs) | 632 grams (1.39 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 56 | 64 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.6 | 22.5 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.5 | 11.4 |
DXO Low light rating | 519 | 538 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 870 pictures | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | BLM-5 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC | Compact Flash |
Storage slots | 2 | One |
Price at launch | $1,700 | $0 |