Clicky

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
64
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Here is a extended overview of the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7, both Advanced Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The E-M5 II was unveiled 3 years later than the NEX-7 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M5 II scores vs the NEX-7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony NEX-7

 E-M5 II NEX-7 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015December 2011Fresher by 39 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k921kCrisper display (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 NEX-7 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony NEX-7

 E-M5 II NEX-7 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurements

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II has external measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Sony NEX-7 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 II versus the NEX-7.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and NEX-7 is 80 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to envision the contrast between sensor sizing just by reviewing technical specs. The photograph below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and NEX-7.

As you can tell, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony NEX-7 will offer you more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography information
72
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW formats
78
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography advice
Sony NEX-7 Street photography advice
82
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers focus by touch
environment proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
76
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography info
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography info
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proof
low battery (310 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
62
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
great battery (430 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography factors
74
environment proof
offers focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
low battery (310 per charge)
70
great battery (430 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography features
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
low battery (310 CIPA)
72
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3")
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
great battery (430 shots)
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse function
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging highlights
82
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone socket
35
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone socket
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2015-02-06 2011-12-13
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 25600 16000
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash modes 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, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
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, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, 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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469g (1.03 pounds) 400g (0.88 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 81
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 13.4
DXO Low light score 896 1016
Other
Battery life 310 images 430 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $699 $699