Olympus E-P7 vs Sony NEX-5R

Following is a extensive review of the Olympus E-P7 and Sony NEX-5R, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P7 (20MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the E-P7 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5R (APS-C) feature different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-P7 was revealed 8 years after the NEX-5R which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-P7 scores vs the NEX-5R with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P7 & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P7 Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-P7 enjoys external measurements of 118mm x 69mm x 38mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 337 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5R has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P7 and Sony NEX-5R in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-P7 compared to the NEX-5R.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P7 and NEX-5R is 86 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes only by researching specs. The image below will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P7 and NEX-5R.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-P7 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Olympus E-P7 will provide you with extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more modern E-P7 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.