Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N
86 Imaging
46 Features
42 Overall
44


89 Imaging
56 Features
69 Overall
61
Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
- Announced July 2009
- Successor is Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
- Announced October 2011
- Old Model is Sony NEX-5
- Successor is Sony NEX-5R

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview
Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) come with different sensor sizing.

The E-P1 was brought out 3 years earlier than the NEX-5N which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short view of how the E-P1 matches up vs the NEX-5N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Sony NEX-5N Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Sony NEX-5N
E-P1 | NEX-5N |
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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Olympus E-P1
NEX-5N | E-P1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2011 | ![]() | July 2009 | More modern by 26 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+690k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Sony NEX-5N
E-P1 | NEX-5N | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lacking selfie screen |
Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison
If you are planning to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 has got external measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5N has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-P1 and the NEX-5N.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and NEX-5N is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison
Generally, it can be hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes just by checking out technical specs. The image here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and NEX-5N.
As you have seen, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony NEX-5N will provide greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P1 | Sony Alpha NEX-5N | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus PEN E-P1 | Sony Alpha NEX-5N |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Announced | 2009-07-29 | 2011-10-03 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic V | 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 | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4912 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Total lenses | 107 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 920 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic (optional) |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 12.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (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 | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 355 gr (0.78 lbs) | 269 gr (0.59 lbs) |
Dimensions | 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") | 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 55 | 77 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.4 | 23.6 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.4 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light score | 536 | 1079 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 pictures | 460 pictures |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-1 | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $182 | $550 |