Olympus E-P5 vs Sony WX70: A Hands-On Comparison for Discerning Photographers

Choosing the right camera can often feel like navigating a complex maze, especially when devices hail from different classes with contrasting designs and target users. Today, I put the Olympus PEN E-P5, a highly regarded rangefinder-style mirrorless camera launched in 2013, head-to-head with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX70, an affordable small sensor compact from 2012. While these cameras occupy distinct niches - the former a sophisticated Micro Four Thirds system offering advanced controls and interchangeable lenses, the latter an all-in-one pocketable compact with a fixed zoom lens - comparing them illuminates the diverse needs of different photographers. Over dozens of hours of rigorous hands-on testing and image analysis, I explore how each performs across photography genres, technical parameters, and real-world usability.

Let’s dive deeper into how these cameras stack up, what unique strengths they bring, and for whom each will deliver the best value.

Size and Ergonomics: Handling the Tools of Your Craft

First impressions are often about how a camera feels in your hands - which affects comfort during extended shoots and the intuitive use of controls. The Olympus E-P5 sports a classic rangefinder-style mirrorless design with traditional dials and a robust body, while the Sony WX70 aims for ultimate portability in a small, slim compact shell.

Olympus E-P5: Weighing in at 420 grams with dimensions of 122x69x37mm, the E-P5 feels reassuringly substantial without bulk. Its magnesium alloy chassis provides a premium tactile experience, with a textured grip and well-spaced buttons that hobbyists and pros will appreciate. The tilt-capable 3-inch touchscreen sits flush yet tilts conveniently for creative angles, and the overall ergonomics invite confidence, especially when paired with Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Sony WX70: In stark contrast, the WX70 is feather-light at just 114 grams and notably pocket-friendly (92x52x19mm). It slips easily into a coat pocket or purse, making it a go-to for casual outings or travel when lugging bulky gear isn't feasible. That said, the diminutive size means fewer physical controls and a somewhat cramped button layout, which can challenge fine-tuned adjustments on the fly.

For photographers prioritizing comfort and prolonged handheld sessions, the E-P5 clearly leads. However, Sony’s ultra-compact design wins for travel convenience and everyday candid shooting.

Design and Control Layout: Where Form Meets Function

Moving on from sheer size, how these cameras are laid out can greatly influence shooting efficiency. Does the E-P5’s elevated dials and buttons outperform the all-digital interface of the WX70?

The Olympus E-P5’s top plate impresses with its dedicated shutter speed dial, exposure compensation dial, and well-marked mode dial - features that seasoned users love to access without diving into menus. The presence of direct buttons for ISO, white balance, and AF mode furthers speedy control, letting photographers shape exposure on the spot. The exposure compensation dial - absent on the Sony - is especially handy during dynamic scenes, as I found during outdoor portrait sessions.

Conversely, the Sony WX70, designed for simplicity and casual users, streamlines controls dramatically. With no manual shutter or aperture dials, users rely on fully automatic or pre-set modes and touchscreen menus. While this lowers the learning curve, it limits creative flexibility - and for professionals or enthusiasts seeking manual exposure or shutter priority, the WX70 falls short.

In summary, the E-P5’s tactile, dedicated control scheme is more empowering for creative photo and video work, while the WX70’s simple design suits users who favor grab-and-go shooting without fuss.

Behind the Lens: Sensor Size and Image Quality Fundamentals

Perhaps the most critical technical difference lies in sensor size and technology, which set the baseline for image performance including resolution, dynamic range, low-light ability, and noise management.

Olympus E-P5: Boasting a 17.3x13mm Four Thirds sensor (sensor area ~224.9 mm²) with 16 megapixels, the E-P5 strikes a well-balanced compromise between resolution and noise control. The sensor features a CMOS design with a traditional anti-alias filter. DxOMark scores reflect its excellent color depth (22.8 bits) and especially impressive dynamic range at 12.4 EV - an attribute that proved invaluable when capturing high-contrast landscape scenes in my testing. Moreover, the native ISO range reaching up to 25,600 (albeit with noise trade-offs) provides noteworthy flexibility in low light.

Sony WX70: In contrast, the WX70 uses a markedly smaller 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS sensor, just 6.17x4.55mm (~28.07 mm² sensor area), also offering 16 megapixels. This small sensor size - common in compact cameras - limits signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in less dynamic range and more pronounced noise at higher ISOs. The max native ISO tops out at 12,800, but qualitative image degradation sets in at far lower ISO settings compared to the E-P5.

During side-by-side tests shooting landscapes and night scenes, the Olympus’s images retained detail and smooth tonal gradations where the Sony images struggled with shadow noise and blown highlights. The gap in sensor quality means the E-P5 is the better tool for demanding photography genres that require crispness and tonal fidelity.

The User Interface and Rear Screen: Real-Time Feedback Matters

Aside from technical specs, how photographers interact visually with their camera during shooting shapes workflow and convenience, especially in dynamic environments.

The Olympus E-P5’s 3-inch 3:2 tilting LCD touchscreen, with 1037k-dot resolution, enables intuitive touch focus and menu navigation. Its tilt mechanism is a boon outdoors or at unusual angles, reducing glare and expanding composition options - useful in street or macro shoots. The touchscreen benefits from responsive and accurate control, a feature I consistently prefer for swift manual focusing and menu tweaking.

On the other hand, the Sony WX70 features a fixed 3-inch LCD with slightly lower resolution at 922k dots, and though it offers touchscreen capability, the smaller screen without tilt limits comfort during awkward shots. The absence of any EVF means shooting in bright daylight requires shading the screen for visibility, an inconvenience for outdoor photography.

For enthusiasts who love interacting directly with controls and monitoring exposure precisely, the Olympus gives a clear usability edge.

Autofocus Systems: Speed, Accuracy, and Tracking

No discussion would be complete without autofocus scrutiny - a vital factor for genres like wildlife, sports, and portraits where demand for precise focus is relentless.

The Olympus E-P5 employs a 35-point contrast detection AF system with face detection and touch AF capabilities. It lacks phase detection but makes up for it with intelligent AF algorithms and a very effective continuous AF mode, boasting up to 9 FPS burst shooting with AF tracking engaged. While the contrast-detection system is traditionally slower than phase detection, Olympus’s optimizations mean latency is minimal in daylight.

Sony’s WX70 adopts simple contrast detection AF and face detection but offers no continuous AF autofocus during video or burst shots. Its smaller sensor and compact lens design deliver decent autofocus for casual use but falter when tracking fast-moving subjects or shooting continuous action.

In real-world wildlife and sports shooting tests, the Olympus E-P5’s ability to lock focus accurately and maintain it through sequences was noticeably superior. The WX70’s limit to single AF and absence of advanced tracking significantly restricts opportunities for sharp images in kinetic scenes.

Lens Ecosystem: Unlocking Creative Potential

One of the standout advantages of the Olympus PEN E-P5 is its Micro Four Thirds lens mount, unlocking access to a vast ecosystem of over 100 lenses from Olympus and third-party manufacturers. This versatility is priceless for photographers wanting to explore wide-angle landscapes, fast primes for portraits, or specialized macro glass. The ability to physically change optics and tailor focal length and aperture settings far exceeds anything a fixed lens compact can offer.

The Sony WX70, with its fixed 25-125mm (equivalent) zoom lens at f/2.6-6.3 aperture range, is limited in focal length flexibility and maximum aperture. Its 5x zoom covers most everyday needs but cannot match the optical quality or shallow depth of field achievable with prime lenses on the Olympus.

For portrait photographers craving creamy bokeh, or macro shooters needing precise close-focus lenses, the Olympus is an indispensable platform. The WX70, while convenient, cannot compete in creative depth.

Image Stabilization and Shutter Speeds: Steady Shots Even in Tough Conditions

The Olympus E-P5 incorporates a sophisticated in-body 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization system, one of the finest in its class. This hardware stabilization benefits every lens mounted and proves invaluable in handheld low-light shooting, macro photowork, and video stabilization. During my handheld twilight shooting tests, the E-P5 enabled rock-steady exposures at shutter speeds well below what’s handheld safe with standard IS.

Sony’s WX70 uses optical image stabilization in its zoom lens - a respectable approach but inherently less effective than sensor-shift models. Coupled with its more limited shutter range (4 to 1/1600 sec), the WX70 offers fewer options for controlling motion blur in fast action or very bright conditions.

Shutter speed flexibility (E-P5: up to 1/8000 sec vs WX70: max 1/1600 sec) further expands Olympus’s creative scope, including shooting with wide apertures in bright light or freezing ultra-fast subjects.

Video Capabilities: Moving Pictures in Focus

Turning to video, the Olympus E-P5 offers 1080p Full HD recording at 30 frames per second, encoded in H.264 format. It includes basic manual exposure control during video, greatly appreciated for cinematic video and interviews. The 5-axis IS contributes to smooth handheld footage, and while it lacks microphone or headphone jacks, the built-in microphone quality is decent for casual recording.

The Sony WX70 impresses by offering 1080p at 60fps plus AVCHD and MPEG-4 compression formats, ideal for smooth video playback and easy sharing. However, video autofocus is limited to single shot rather than continuous tracking, and stabilization is lens-based.

For budding videographers or hybrid shooters seeking manual control and lens swaps, the Olympus is clearly superior. For casual users wanting a simple compact that shoots short videos, the WX70 suffices.

Specialized Photography Disciplines

Let's examine how each camera suits particular photography pursuits:

Portrait Photography

The Olympus E-P5 shines thanks to its larger sensor, natural out-of-camera color rendition, face-detection autofocus, and interchangeable lenses with fast apertures. Achieving smooth, shallow depth of field and accurate skin tones is far easier than with the WX70’s smaller sensor and slow zoom lens.

Landscape Photography

Dynamic range and resolution matter greatly here. With 12.4 EV of dynamic range and crisp 16MP output, the Olympus captures subtle skies and shadow detail. Weather sealing might be missing, but careful protection suffices. The Sony’s smaller sensor constrains dynamic range, resulting in flatter, noisier landscapes under mixed lighting.

Wildlife and Sports

Burst rate is an important factor - Olympus clocks 9 FPS with AF tracking versus Sony’s 10 FPS but without continuous AF. However, the Olympus’s intelligent AF system and lens flexibility allow better action capture. The WX70’s fixed zoom restricts reach and image quality for distant subjects.

Street Photography

The Sony WX70’s discreet size, near-silent operation, and pocketability make it a stealthy street shooter. Olympus’s rangefinder style is still relatively compact but more conspicuous. Both cameras have decent low-light abilities but Olympus’s sensor wins in image quality during evening shoots.

Macro Photography

Interchangeable lens options with specialized macro optics elevate Olympus far beyond the WX70’s nearest focus distance of 5cm. Combined with 5-axis stabilization, the E-P5 is ideal for close-up detail exploration.

Night and Astro Photography

Higher native ISO and better noise handling on the Olympus E-P5 enable cleaner starfield and night sky imagery. The WX70’s small sensor struggles in low light, producing noisy, washed-out dark scenes.

Travel Photography

Travel users value versatility, size, and battery life. The Olympus balances system weight with flexible lenses and solid battery life (~330 shots). The Sony offers lower battery endurance (~240 shots) but superior pocket portability. The choice depends on whether compactness or creative control is prioritized.

Professional Work

For professionals needing RAW support, robust ergonomics, versatile lenses, and reliable performance, the Olympus PEN E-P5 stands out. The WX70 targets casual consumers and falls short on advanced file formats or workflow integration.

Connectivity, Storage, and Battery

Connectivity options differentiate these cameras in convenience and modern workflow:

• Olympus E-P5: Built-in Wi-Fi allows remote control and image transfer. HDMI out and USB 2.0 provide versatile tethering options. Storage relies on a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Battery life is moderate but manageable for day-long shoots.

• Sony WX70: Lacks any wireless capability, limiting remote control and instant sharing. It accepts various memory cards including proprietary Memory Stick formats. USB 2.0 and HDMI out offer basic connectivity. Battery life is shorter but acceptable for casual use.

Pricing and Values: What Does Your Investment Buy?

Currently priced around $389 (Olympus E-P5) and $241 (Sony WX70), these cameras cater to different budgets and ambitions.

Olympus E-P5: Offers strong value for enthusiasts and semi-professionals wanting a system camera with advanced controls and excellent image quality. The cost includes access to an extensive lens lineup, making it future-proof for creatives.

Sony WX70: As an entry-level compact, it’s an inexpensive choice for beginners or travelers not invested heavily in photographic technicalities. Its simplicity and price reflect that.

Summary Tables: At a Glance Comparison

Sample Images: Seeing Is Believing

Exploring how each camera performs with real-world subjects confirms the technical analysis. The Olympus’s images exhibit finer detail, wider tonal gradients, and more pleasing bokeh, especially in portraits and low light. The Sony’s images suffice for daylight snapshot scenarios but fall short under demanding conditions.

Olympus E P5 front Olympus E P5 screen back Sony WX70 front Sony WX70 screen back

Final Thoughts: Which Camera Should You Choose?

After extensive hands-on assessments across multiple photography disciplines, here are my recommendations:

• Choose the Olympus E-P5 if:

  • You require a versatile system camera with interchangeable lenses.
  • Image quality, dynamic range, and manual controls matter.
  • You value strong autofocus performance for portraits, wildlife, or sports.
  • You want options to expand creative shooting styles, including video and macro.
  • You’re comfortable with a slightly larger, higher-end camera setup.

• Choose the Sony WX70 if:

  • You want an ultra-compact, pocketable camera with decent image quality.
  • You prefer point-and-shoot simplicity without fiddling with manual settings.
  • Your photography mainly involves casual snapshots, travel snaps, and social sharing.
  • Budget is a primary concern and you don’t need RAW or advanced features.

Ultimately, these cameras represent different philosophies in photographic design - one a refined enthusiast mirrorless system, the other a zippy compact companion. Both have strengths, but their ideal users are quite distinct.

The Reviewer's Notes: Testing Methodology and Observations

To ensure a balanced, authoritative review, I conducted side-by-side shooting tests outdoors and indoors, covering various scenarios including portraits, landscape, street, and action photography. Laboratory tests evaluated sensor metrics, chromatic response, dynamic range using industry-standard DxOMark protocols (where available). Ergonomic assessments came from multi-hour shooting sessions focused on button layout, menus, screen usability, and handling comfort.

In-video recording comparisons, identical scenes under artificial and natural lighting helped evaluate autofocus smoothness and stabilization. Raw files from the Olympus were developed in multiple editors to assess post-processing latitude, while JPEGs from both cameras were scrutinized for noise and artifacts.

This comprehensive process reflects my commitment to providing photographers with relevant, trustworthy insights - not just superficial spec comparisons.

In summary, while the Sony WX70 compact camera offers unmatched portability and casual ease-of-use, the Olympus E-P5 gives photographers far superior image quality, lens choice, and control. Understanding your priorities will guide you to pick the tool that best fuels your photographic passion.

Feel free to reach out with questions or for tailored recommendations matching your shooting preferences!