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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-6 front
Portability
85
Imaging
58
Features
76
Overall
65

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2012
Sony NEX-6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 345g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Revealed March 2013
  • Updated by Sony A6000
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony NEX-6, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the NEX-6 (16MP) is very close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and NEX-6 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was brought out 6 months earlier than the NEX-6 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-PL5 grades vs the NEX-6 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony NEX-6

 E-PL5 NEX-6 
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-6 over the Olympus E-PL5

 NEX-6 E-PL5 
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony NEX-6

 E-PL5 NEX-6 
RevealedSeptember 2012March 2013Same age
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has got exterior measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-6 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony NEX-6 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 vs the NEX-6.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and NEX-6 is 88 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by viewing specs. The image here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and NEX-6.

All in all, the 2 cameras have got the exact same megapixel count but different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 features the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallow DOF tougher.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
74
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-6 Street photography highlights
85
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
78
screen tilts
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (345 grams)
great high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography info
Sony NEX-6 Sports photography info
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect autofocus
66
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Travel photography camera
75
comes with focus via touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse function
75
lighter than competitors in class (345 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
75
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-6 Vlogging features
78
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have external mic socket
32
includes face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (345g)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony NEX-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony NEX-6
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony Alpha NEX-6
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony Alpha NEX-6
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-09-17 2013-03-25
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 35 99
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - Xtra Fine LCD with Tilt Up 90� and Down 45�
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.00 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
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 325 grams (0.72 lb) 345 grams (0.76 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 78
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 13.1
DXO Low light rating 889 1018
Other
Battery life 360 shots 360 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $400 $365