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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Launched February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Renewed by Sony A57
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-5 and Sony A55, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) boast different sensor size.

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The E-5 was unveiled 6 months after the A55 and they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-5 matches up against the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony A55

 E-5 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus E-5

 A55 E-5 
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony A55

 E-5 A55 
RevealedFebruary 2011August 2010Same age
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 provides outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Sony A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-5 and Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-5 and the A55.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and A55 is 58 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes only by looking through a spec sheet. The image underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and A55.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-5 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A55 will result in greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures more aggressively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography factors
Sony A55 Portrait photography factors
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
73
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-5
Street photography with Sony A55
71
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography features
Sony A55 Sports photography features
59
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
not so great battery pack (380 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-5
Travel photography with Sony A55
56
environment sealing
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
62
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Time Lapse function
not so great battery pack (380 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A55 Landscape photography highlights
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
67
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
not so great battery pack (380 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging details
Sony A55 Vlogging details
64
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
does have external mic jack
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic support
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Sony A55
 Olympus E-5Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-5 Sony SLT-A55
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2011-02-03 2010-08-24
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V+ Bionz
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 alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 15
Cross type focus points 11 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 920k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal transmissive LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
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
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 800g (1.76 pounds) 500g (1.10 pounds)
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 Overall rating 56 73
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 12.4
DXO Low light rating 519 816
Other
Battery life 870 pictures 380 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Two One
Price at release $1,700 $800