Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N
71 Imaging
46 Features
50 Overall
47


89 Imaging
56 Features
69 Overall
61
Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 515g - 130 x 94 x 60mm
- Revealed August 2009
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
- Announced October 2011
- Replaced the Sony NEX-5
- New Model is Sony NEX-5R

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview
In this write-up, we are comparing the Olympus E-600 versus Sony NEX-5N, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-600 (12MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the E-600 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

The E-600 was launched 3 years before the NEX-5N and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-600 grades versus the NEX-5N for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-600 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-600 Gallery and Sony NEX-5N Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-600 over the Sony NEX-5N
E-600 | NEX-5N | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Olympus E-600
NEX-5N | E-600 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2011 | ![]() | August 2009 | More recent by 25 months |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+690k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-600 and Sony NEX-5N
E-600 | NEX-5N | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing |
Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison
For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-600 offers outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") having a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5N has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-600 versus Sony NEX-5N in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-600 vs the NEX-5N.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-600 and NEX-5N is 71 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-600 and NEX-5N.
Clearly, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-600 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5N will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-600 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications
Olympus E-600 | Sony Alpha NEX-5N | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-600 | Sony Alpha NEX-5N |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2009-08-30 | 2011-10-03 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic III+ | 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 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 7 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 45 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display size | 2.7" | 3" |
Display resolution | 230k dots | 920k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD | Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic (optional) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 4.0 frames per sec | 10.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m | 12.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Fill-in, Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/180s | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video format | - | AVCHD |
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 | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 515g (1.14 pounds) | 269g (0.59 pounds) |
Dimensions | 130 x 94 x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") | 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 55 | 77 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | 23.6 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.3 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light rating | 541 | 1079 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 pictures | 460 pictures |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-1 | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Pricing at launch | $0 | $550 |