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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

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

Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Successor is Olympus E-M10 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
  • Released October 2011
  • Old Model is Sony NEX-5
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5N, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is pretty well matched but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-M10 was launched 2 years after the NEX-5N which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-M10 matches up vs the NEX-5N when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

 E-M10 NEX-5N 
ReleasedMarch 2014October 2011More modern by 30 months
Screen resolution1037k920kCrisper screen (+117k dot)

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

 NEX-5N E-M10 

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

 E-M10 NEX-5N 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

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

If you're looking to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M10 offers outer measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") and a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5N has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5N in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M10 vs the NEX-5N.

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

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and NEX-5N is 82 and 89 respectively.

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

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

More often than not, it is hard to picture the gap between sensor sizes merely by looking at technical specs. The image below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and NEX-5N.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor sizes. The E-M10 uses the tinier sensor which should make getting shallower depth of field trickier. The more modern E-M10 should have an edge in sensor technology.

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

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

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-5N Portrait photography highlights
71
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
supports RAW formats
73
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Street photography info
Sony NEX-5N Street photography info
77
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
heavier than competition (396 grams)
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
provides touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
58
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
better than average battery power (460 shots)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Travel photography information
Sony NEX-5N Travel photography information
67
boasts touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
heavier than competition (396 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
better than average battery power (460 shots)
provides touch focus
good megapixels (16MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography information
79
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
71
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (460 shots)
no image stabilization
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-5N Vlogging features
33
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic jack
heavier than competition (396 grams)
33
built-in touchscreen
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 and Sony NEX-5N
 Olympus OM-D E-M10Sony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2014-03-18 2011-10-03
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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 surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT LCD Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (ISO100) 12.00 m
Flash settings 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
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396g (0.87 pounds) 269g (0.59 pounds)
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 rating 72 77
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 12.7
DXO Low light rating 884 1079
Other
Battery life 320 photos 460 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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 feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $600 $550