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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N 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
  • Released February 2020
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Announced October 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-5
  • Updated by Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

The following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The E-M1 III was revealed 8 years after the NEX-5N which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1 III scores versus the NEX-5N when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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

 E-M1 III NEX-5N 
AnnouncedFebruary 2020October 2011Newer by 102 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k920kSharper screen (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

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

 NEX-5N E-M1 III 

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

 E-M1 III NEX-5N 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Touch screen Quickly navigate

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

If you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 III enjoys outside dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-M1 III versus the NEX-5N.

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

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and NEX-5N is 67 and 89 respectively.

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

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

Usually, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by looking at specifications. The pic underneath may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and NEX-5N.

To sum up, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 III with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-M1 III will give more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The newer E-M1 III provides a benefit in sensor innovation.

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

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

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-5N Portrait photography advice
77
manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
73
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Street photography with Sony NEX-5N
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus by touch
weather proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
80
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
has touch focus
good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography features
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography features
81
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
high fps (60.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
58
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery (460 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5N
79
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
decent MP (20MP)
selfie friendly display
70
better than average battery (460 shots)
has touch focus
MP count decent (16MP)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5N
81
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
no anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
2 card slots
71
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (460 shots)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-5N Vlogging highlights
79
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection autofocus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic support
33
touchscreen enabled
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Sony NEX-5N
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIISony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2020-02-11 2011-10-03
Body design 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 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 25
Cross type focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 60.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings 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
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 580g (1.28 lbs) 269g (0.59 lbs)
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 All around rating not tested 77
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1079
Other
Battery life 420 photos 460 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLH-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two Single
Price at launch $1,800 $550