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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
Portability
54
Imaging
66
Features
62
Overall
64

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(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
  • Announced February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Released October 2008
  • Later Model is Sony A99
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Overview

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-5 and Sony A900, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A900 (25MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A900 (Full frame) posses different sensor size.

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The E-5 was released 2 years after the A900 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-5 scores versus the A900 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony A900

 E-5 A900 
ReleasedFebruary 2011October 2008Newer by 28 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Olympus E-5

 A900 E-5 
Display resolution922k920kSharper display (+2k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony A900

 E-5 A900 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display size
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 offers outside dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Sony A900 has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-5 and Sony A900 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-5 compared to the A900.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and A900 is 58 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing technical specs. The image below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and A900.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A900 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 13 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-5 provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography factors
Sony A900 Portrait photography factors
60
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW files
low MP (12MP)
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count great (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A900 as a Street photography camera
71
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
environment proof
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography details
Sony A900 Sports photography details
59
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
environment proof
has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (12 megapixels)
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
low frames per second (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-5
Travel photography with Sony A900
56
environment proof
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low MP (12MP)
54
environment proofing
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
missing Timelapse function
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography factors
Sony A900 Landscape photography factors
65
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
environment proof
2 card slots
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
72
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
2 card slots
no liveview feature
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging features
Sony A900 Vlogging features
64
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
has external microphone support
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A900 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Sony A900
 Olympus E-5Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2011-02-03 2008-10-22
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V+ Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 25MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 6048 x 4032
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 9
Cross type focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 18.00 m (at ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 800g (1.76 lbs) 895g (1.97 lbs)
Physical dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 12.3
DXO Low light rating 519 1431
Other
Battery life 870 shots 880 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-5 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Card slots Two Two
Retail cost $1,700 $2,736