Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6100

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-5 versus Sony A6100, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A6100 (24MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A6100 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was revealed 9 years earlier than the A6100 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A6100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-5 scores vs the A6100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 and Sony Alpha a6100. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Sony A6100 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 provides external measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Sony A6100 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-5 versus Sony A6100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-5 and the A6100.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and A6100 is 58 and 81 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing simply by reviewing technical specs. The graphic here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and A6100.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-5 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A6100 will offer extra detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.