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Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
20
Overall
29
Olympus FE-5020 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Olympus FE-5020
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 24-120mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 137g - 93 x 56 x 25mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Also Known as X-935
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-5N
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus FE-5020 and Sony NEX-5, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the FE-5020 (12MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is very close but the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The FE-5020 was launched 10 months prior to the NEX-5 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the FE-5020 grades against the NEX-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Sony NEX-5

 FE-5020 NEX-5 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus FE-5020

 NEX-5 FE-5020 
IntroducedJune 2010July 2009Fresher by 10 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus FE-5020 and Sony NEX-5

 FE-5020 NEX-5 
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-5020 provides outer measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-5020 and Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the FE-5020 versus the NEX-5.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FE-5020 and NEX-5 is 95 and 89 respectively.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizing purely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-5020 and NEX-5.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FE-5020 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Sony NEX-5 will render more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older FE-5020 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography info
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
72
has manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus FE-5020
Street photography with Sony NEX-5
60
weather proof
lighter than others in class (137 grams)
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Sports photography details
Sony NEX-5 Sports photography details
24
weather proof
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/500s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
52
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Travel photography advice
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography advice
65
lighter than others in class (137 grams)
weather proof
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
lack of Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
59
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography highlights
31
rather wide (24mm)
weather proof
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
68
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging advice
28
rather wide (24mm)
lighter than others in class (137g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external microphone support
28
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
doesn't have microphone port
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-5020 and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus FE-5020Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus FE-5020 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Alternate name X-935 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-07-22 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.8 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/500 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.10 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 137 grams (0.30 lbs) 287 grams (0.63 lbs)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 69
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.2
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 796
Other
Battery life - 330 images
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-42B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage xD-Picture Card, microSD SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $160 $599