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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Launched February 2020
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-5N
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony NEX-5, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-M1 III was revealed 9 years later than the NEX-5 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-M1 III grades against the NEX-5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Sony NEX-5

 E-M1 III NEX-5 
ReleasedFebruary 2020June 2010More recent by 118 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k920kCrisper screen (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 NEX-5 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony NEX-5

 E-M1 III NEX-5 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen size

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 III comes with external measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony NEX-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the NEX-5.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 III and NEX-5 is 67 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements simply by going over specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and NEX-5.

All in all, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III with its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-M1 III will offer greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-M1 III will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
72
manual focus
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Street photography highlights
78
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus via touch
environment proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
76
screen tilts
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Sports photography with Sony NEX-5
81
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (60.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
52
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
no image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography highlights
79
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
features focus via touch
resolution is good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
59
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
missing Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography highlights
81
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
no anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
68
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
missing Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging information
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging information
79
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with mic port
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIISony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Sony Alpha NEX-5
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2020-02-11 2010-06-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic IX Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 121 25
Cross focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter rate 60.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 580 gr (1.28 lb) 287 gr (0.63 lb)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 796
Other
Battery life 420 pictures 330 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Two 1
Pricing at release $1,800 $599