Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R
80 Imaging
53 Features
84 Overall
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89 Imaging
56 Features
76 Overall
64
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
- Released February 2015
- Replaced the Olympus E-M5
- Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
- Introduced August 2012
- Earlier Model is Sony NEX-5N
- Renewed by Sony NEX-5T
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On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-M5 II versus Sony NEX-5R, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the NEX-5R (16MP) is pretty close but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and NEX-5R (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe E-M5 II was launched 2 years later than the NEX-5R and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-M5 II grades vs the NEX-5R in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Photography Glossary Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony NEX-5R
| E-M5 II | NEX-5R | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | February 2015 | August 2012 | More recent by 30 months | |
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 920k | Sharper screen (+117k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Olympus E-M5 II
| NEX-5R | E-M5 II |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony NEX-5R
| E-M5 II | NEX-5R | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Dial exact focusing | |||
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
| Touch screen | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II comes with outside dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5R has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-M5 II versus Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 II against the NEX-5R.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and NEX-5R is 80 and 89 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements simply by researching specifications. The graphic below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 II and NEX-5R.
To sum up, both of those cameras have the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor measurements. The E-M5 II provides the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult. The newer E-M5 II will have a benefit in sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Sony Alpha NEX-5R | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Sony Alpha NEX-5R |
| Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Released | 2015-02-06 | 2012-08-29 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | TruePic VII | Bionz |
| Sensor type | MOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| 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 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | 99 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Amount of lenses | 107 | 121 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Display technology | - | Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic (optional) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Highest quiet shutter speed | 1/16000 secs | - |
| Continuous shooting speed | 10.0fps | 10.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash settings | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 469 grams (1.03 lb) | 276 grams (0.61 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") | 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 73 | 78 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | 23.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.4 | 13.1 |
| DXO Low light rating | 896 | 910 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 310 images | 330 images |
| Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
| Time lapse shooting | With downloadable app | |
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Cost at launch | $699 | $750 |