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


89 Imaging
57 Features
79 Overall
65
Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T 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
- Introduced February 2011
- Older Model is Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
- Released August 2013
- Earlier Model is Sony NEX-5R

Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview
Below is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-5 versus Sony NEX-5T, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5T (APS-C) enjoy different sensor measurements.

The E-5 was unveiled 3 years earlier than the NEX-5T and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before delving through a full comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-5 scores versus the NEX-5T in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-5 & Sony Alpha NEX-5T. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony NEX-5T Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony NEX-5T
E-5 | NEX-5T | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Olympus E-5
NEX-5T | E-5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2013 | ![]() | February 2011 | More recent by 31 months |
Display resolution | 922k | ![]() | 920k | Crisper display (+2k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony NEX-5T
E-5 | NEX-5T | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Both good for selfies |
Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 comes with outer dimensions 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 NEX-5T has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-5 versus Sony NEX-5T in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-5 vs the NEX-5T.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and NEX-5T is 58 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and NEX-5T.
As you have seen, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-5 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony NEX-5T will provide you with greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-5 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications
Olympus E-5 | Sony Alpha NEX-5T | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-5 | Sony Alpha NEX-5T |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Introduced | 2011-02-03 | 2013-08-27 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic V+ | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 99 |
Cross type focus points | 11 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Total lenses | 45 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 920 thousand dot | 922 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal transmissive LCD | Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic (optional) |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 5.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 18.00 m (at ISO 200) | 7.00 m (ISO100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 800 gr (1.76 pounds) | 276 gr (0.61 pounds) |
Dimensions | 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 56 | 78 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.6 | 23.6 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.5 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light rating | 519 | 1015 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 870 photographs | 330 photographs |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLM-5 | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Two | Single |
Retail cost | $1,700 | $400 |