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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-3
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Released October 2016
  • Succeeded the Sony A6300
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-5 and Sony A6500, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-5 was unveiled 6 years before the A6500 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-5 scores versus the A6500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony A6500

 E-5 A6500 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus E-5

 A6500 E-5 
ReleasedOctober 2016February 2011Fresher by 69 months
Screen resolution922k920kCrisper screen (+2k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony A6500

 E-5 A6500 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 comes with outside 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) whilst the Sony A6500 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-5 and Sony A6500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-5 vs the A6500.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and A6500 is 58 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizing only by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and A6500.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-5 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A6500 will give greater detail having an extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography factors
Sony A6500 Portrait photography factors
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
80
focusing manually
good resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Street photography camera
71
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
includes touch to focus
weather proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Sports photography camera
59
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
77
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect autofocus
low battery pack (350 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography information
Sony A6500 Travel photography information
56
environment proof
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
74
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
includes touch to focus
good resolution (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
low battery pack (350 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography features
Sony A6500 Landscape photography features
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
has double storage slots
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
80
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
low battery pack (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging info
Sony A6500 Vlogging info
64
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
has mic port
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
39
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external mic support
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Sony A6500
 Olympus E-5Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-5 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-02-03 2016-10-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V+ Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 425
Cross focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 920 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal transmissive LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800 grams (1.76 lbs) 453 grams (1.00 lbs)
Physical dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 85
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 13.7
DXO Low light score 519 1405
Other
Battery life 870 photographs 350 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Dual Single
Cost at release $1,700 $1,298