Olympus FE-45 vs Sony NEX-5R

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus FE-45 versus Sony NEX-5R, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the FE-45 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The FE-45 was launched 4 years prior to the NEX-5R and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the FE-45 scores vs the NEX-5R when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-45 & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus FE-45 Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus FE-45 has got exterior dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5R has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Check out the Olympus FE-45 versus Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the FE-45 against the NEX-5R.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-45 and NEX-5R is 95 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor sizing only by checking a spec sheet. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-45 and NEX-5R.

Clearly, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FE-45 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5R will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics far more aggressively. The older FE-45 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.