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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Renewed by Sony NEX-5N
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony NEX-5, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was manufactured 24 months after the NEX-5 making them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 grades versus the NEX-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony NEX-5

 E-M5 NEX-5 
IntroducedApril 2012June 2010More modern by 24 months
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus E-M5

 NEX-5 E-M5 
Display resolution920k610kCrisper display (+310k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony NEX-5

 E-M5 NEX-5 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 comes with external dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 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).

Check the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony NEX-5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 versus the NEX-5.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and NEX-5 is 81 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes purely by seeing specifications. The pic underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and NEX-5.

To sum up, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Olympus E-M5 will provide greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The newer E-M5 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography info
71
you can focus manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-5 Street photography highlights
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts touch to focus
environment sealing
good ISO range (25,600)
76
tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Sony NEX-5
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
has no phase detect autofocus
52
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5
66
environment sealing
boasts touch to focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
59
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography factors
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
doesn't have Timelapse function
68
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Vlogging camera
34
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone jack
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-04-30 2010-06-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS 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 megapixels 14 megapixels
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 data
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 610k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
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 9.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure 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 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 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 file format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
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 425 grams (0.94 lb) 287 grams (0.63 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 71 69
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 12.2
DXO Low light score 826 796
Other
Battery life 360 photographs 330 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $799 $599