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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5T front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
79
Overall
66

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL3
Sony NEX-5T
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Introduced August 2013
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and NEX-5T (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5T (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was unveiled 3 years prior to the NEX-5T which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL2 scores against the NEX-5T in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony NEX-5T

 E-PL2 NEX-5T 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Olympus E-PL2

 NEX-5T E-PL2 
IntroducedAugust 2013February 2011More modern by 30 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony NEX-5T

 E-PL2 NEX-5T 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 provides physical dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5T has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the NEX-5T.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and NEX-5T is 85 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to see the difference in sensor sizes only by researching specifications. The pic below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and NEX-5T.

To sum up, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL2 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony NEX-5T will result in greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-5T Portrait photography info
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography factors
Sony NEX-5T Street photography factors
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
80
screen tilts up and down
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5T as a Sports photography camera
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
low battery power (280 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
69
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
comes with phase detect AF
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography details
Sony NEX-5T Travel photography details
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low battery power (280 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
77
comes with touch to focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-5T Landscape photography factors
61
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
low battery power (280 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
70
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL2
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5T
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have mic socket
73
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of image stabilization
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony NEX-5T
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony Alpha NEX-5T
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony Alpha NEX-5T
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-02-11 2013-08-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 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 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 99
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 7.00 m (ISO100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 362g (0.80 pounds) 276g (0.61 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 78
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 13.0
DXO Low light score 573 1015
Other
Battery life 280 photos 330 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $0 $400