Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.