Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony NEX-5

In this article, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M5 III versus Sony NEX-5, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 III was released 9 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 III scores against the NEX-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery and Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 III comes with outer dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 III versus Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 III and the NEX-5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and NEX-5 is 80 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 III and NEX-5.

Clearly, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 III due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M5 III will show greater detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.