Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37
58 Imaging
47 Features
76 Overall
58
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67 Imaging
57 Features
65 Overall
60
Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 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
- Announced February 2011
- Previous Model is Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.6" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Introduced May 2012
- Succeeded the Sony A35
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 Overview
On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-5 and Sony A37, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A37 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A37 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.
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The E-5 was launched 15 months earlier than the A37 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-5 grades versus the A37 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 & Sony SLT-A37. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony A37 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony A37
E-5 | A37 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.6" | Bigger screen (+0.4") |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+690k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus E-5
A37 | E-5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | May 2012 | ![]() | February 2011 | More recent by 15 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony A37
E-5 | A37 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial precise focusing | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Lack of Touch screen |
Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison
For those who are going to lug around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 has got external 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 A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-5 and Sony A37 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-5 vs the A37.
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Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and A37 is 58 and 67 respectively.
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it can be difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The photograph below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and A37.
As you have seen, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-5 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A37 will show more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-5 will be behind in sensor innovation.
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A37 Specifications
Olympus E-5 | Sony SLT-A37 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-5 | Sony SLT-A37 |
Type | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2011-02-03 | 2012-05-16 |
Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic V+ | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing 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 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 15 |
Cross focus points | 11 | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Available lenses | 45 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 2.6 inch |
Resolution of display | 920 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal transmissive LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 5.0 frames/s | 6.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 18.00 m (at ISO 200) | 12.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/250 seconds | 1/160 seconds |
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 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 800 gr (1.76 lbs) | 506 gr (1.12 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 56 | 75 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.6 | 23.3 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.5 | 12.9 |
DXO Low light score | 519 | 799 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 870 photos | 500 photos |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLM-5 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Dual | One |
Price at launch | $1,700 | $522 |