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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
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
  • Introduced December 2011
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Here, we are analyzing the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony NEX-7, both Advanced Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The E-M5 was released 5 months after the NEX-7 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M5 scores against the NEX-7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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

 E-M5 NEX-7 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

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

 NEX-7 E-M5 
Display resolution921k610kClearer display (+311k dot)

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

 E-M5 NEX-7 
IntroducedApril 2012December 2011Same generation
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display size
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 comes with external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony NEX-7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 vs the NEX-7.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and NEX-7 is 81 and 84 respectively.

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

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to picture the difference in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The picture below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and NEX-7.

Clearly, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony NEX-7 will show more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos way more aggressively.

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

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

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography details
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
77
focusing manually
decent megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography info
Sony NEX-7 Street photography info
82
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
includes touch focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Sony NEX-7
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
61
decent megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great battery life (430 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5
Travel photography with Sony NEX-7
66
weather sealing
includes touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
70
great battery life (430 per charge)
decent megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
does not contain selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography information
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
missing Time Lapse mode
72
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (430 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging factors
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging factors
34
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
missing mic jack
35
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone jack
does not contain selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-04-30 2011-12-13
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS 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 alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 25600 16000
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 610k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 9.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 lbs) 400g (0.88 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 81
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 24.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 13.4
DXO Low light rating 826 1016
Other
Battery life 360 photos 430 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $799 $699