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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Introduced August 2017
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M10 II
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M10 IV
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
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5
  • Updated by Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-M10 III versus Sony NEX-5N, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M10 III (16MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is pretty close but the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M10 III was announced 5 years after the NEX-5N which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-M10 III scores against the NEX-5N when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Sony NEX-5N

 E-M10 III NEX-5N 
AnnouncedAugust 2017October 2011Newer by 72 months
Screen resolution1040k920kCrisper screen (+120k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Olympus E-M10 III

 NEX-5N E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Sony NEX-5N

 E-M10 III NEX-5N 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to travel with your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 III features outside measurements of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5N has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M10 III versus Sony NEX-5N in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-M10 III versus the NEX-5N.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 III and NEX-5N is 80 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to see the difference in sensor dimensions just by researching specs. The pic here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 III and NEX-5N.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-M10 III has the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow depth of field harder. The more modern E-M10 III will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Portrait photography camera
73
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
73
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Street photography advice
Sony NEX-5N Street photography advice
77
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
supports focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
heavier than others in class (410g)
80
screen tilts
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
includes focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Sports photography factors
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography factors
69
quiet shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
58
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great battery pack (460 CIPA)
no image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M10 III
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5N
67
supports focus via touch
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
heavier than others in class (410 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
70
great battery pack (460 CIPA)
includes focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography features
80
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (460 per charge)
no image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Vlogging camera
32
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic socket
heavier than others in class (410g)
33
built-in touchscreen
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Sony NEX-5N
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIISony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2017-08-31 2011-10-03
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII 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 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 121 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 8.6 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.80 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 410 gr (0.90 lbs) 269 gr (0.59 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 77
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1079
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 460 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $650 $550