Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000
85 Imaging
52 Features
76 Overall
61


89 Imaging
62 Features
62 Overall
62
Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 420g - 122 x 69 x 37mm
- Announced October 2013
- Superseded the Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
- Released January 2014
- Earlier Model is Sony NEX-3N
- Later Model is Sony a5100

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Overview
On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-P5 and Sony a5000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the a5000 (20MP) is relatively similar but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and a5000 (APS-C) have different sensor dimensions.

The E-P5 was announced 3 months earlier than the a5000 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-P5 matches up versus the a5000 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P5 & Sony Alpha a5000. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P5 Gallery & Sony a5000 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P5 over the Sony a5000
E-P5 | a5000 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 461k | Sharper screen (+576k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Olympus E-P5
a5000 | E-P5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-P5 and Sony a5000
E-P5 | a5000 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | October 2013 | ![]() | January 2014 | Similar age |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting screen |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen |
Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P5 enjoys external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) and the Sony a5000 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-P5 and Sony a5000 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-P5 vs the a5000.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P5 and a5000 is 85 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is very tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over technical specs. The visual here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P5 and a5000.
As you can tell, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P5 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony a5000 will offer more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots more aggressively.

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P5 vs Sony a5000 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P5 | Sony Alpha a5000 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-P5 | Sony Alpha a5000 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Announced | 2013-10-03 | 2014-01-07 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.2 x 15.4mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 357.3mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 20 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 5456 x 3632 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 16000 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.6 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Tilting |
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 1,037 thousand dots | 461 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen tech | 3:2 LCD capacitive touchscreen | TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 9.0 frames per sec | 4.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 7.00 m (ISO 100) | 4.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (1st or 2nd curtain), Manual (1/1 - 1/64) | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/320 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p) | 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 420 grams (0.93 pounds) | 269 grams (0.59 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 69 x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") | 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 72 | 79 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 22.8 | 23.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.4 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light rating | 895 | 1089 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 photos | 420 photos |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) |
Time lapse shooting | With downloadable app | |
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $389 | $448 |