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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M10 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
  • Announced June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5N
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Following is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is relatively well matched but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) boast different sensor size.

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The E-M10 was unveiled 3 years after the NEX-5 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-M10 grades versus the NEX-5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

 E-M10 NEX-5 
AnnouncedMarch 2014June 2010More modern by 46 months
Screen resolution1037k920kClearer screen (+117k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

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

 NEX-5 E-M10 

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

 E-M10 NEX-5 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 has outer measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5 has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M10 compared to the NEX-5.

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 and NEX-5 is 82 and 89 respectively.

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

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 and NEX-5.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M10 will give you extra detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger E-M10 should have an advantage in sensor innovation.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M10
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5
71
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
72
focusing manually
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Street photography information
Sony NEX-5 Street photography information
77
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features touch to focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than average in class (396 grams)
76
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M10
Sports photography with Sony NEX-5
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
52
MP count decent (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Travel photography camera
67
features touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
more heavy than average in class (396 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
59
MP count decent (14MP)
no Timelapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M10
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
68
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
MP count decent (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Vlogging factors
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging factors
33
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have external microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (396g)
28
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
no external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus OM-D E-M10Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M10 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2014-03-18 2010-06-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.80 m (ISO100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual(1/1(FULL)~1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 396 grams (0.87 lbs) 287 grams (0.63 lbs)
Physical dimensions 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 69
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 12.2
DXO Low light score 884 796
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 330 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $600 $599