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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
29
Overall
32

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony WX5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.4-5.9) lens
  • 146g - 92 x 52 x 22mm
  • Introduced July 2010
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-M1 and Sony WX5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and WX5 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and WX5 (1/2.3") offer different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was introduced 3 years after the WX5 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M1 matches up vs the WX5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony WX5

 E-M1 WX5 
IntroducedOctober 2013July 2010More modern by 41 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.8"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k461kCrisper screen (+576k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony WX5 over the Olympus E-M1

 WX5 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony WX5

 E-M1 WX5 
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys outside dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony WX5 has specifications of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") and a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M1 and Sony WX5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 compared to the WX5.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and WX5 is 71 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Sensor Comparison

Often, its hard to picture the difference between sensor sizes only by going over technical specs. The picture underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and WX5.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M1 will offer you greater detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography features
Sony WX5 Portrait photography features
71
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/320 seconds)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW files
21
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX5 as a Street photography camera
78
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
weather proof
lighter than competitors (497g)
good high ISO (25,600)
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography details
Sony WX5 Sports photography details
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
low battery (350 per charge)
34
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography features
Sony WX5 Travel photography features
65
lighter than competitors (497g)
weather proof
features focus by touch
MP count decent (16MP)
low battery (350 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
58
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX5 as a Landscape photography camera
73
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
low battery (350 per charge)
37
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (2.8 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
lack of manual exposure
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony WX5 as a Vlogging camera
36
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone jack
lighter than competitors (497g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
32
reasonably wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony WX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony WX5
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2013-10-28 2010-07-08
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.4-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 2.8 inches
Screen resolution 1,037k dot 461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 2 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.10 m
Flash options Flash Auto, 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
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/320 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (50 fps), 1440 x 1080 (50, 25fps), 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 146g (0.32 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 92 x 52 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/ SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $799 $250