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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690

Portability
88
Imaging
51
Features
72
Overall
59
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 front
Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
32
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 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
  • Revealed September 2012
Sony W690
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 56 x 22mm
  • Introduced February 2012
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony W690, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the W690 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and W690 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL5 was released 7 months later than the W690 which means that they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL5 grades against the W690 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony W690

 E-PL5 W690 
IntroducedSeptember 2012February 2012More recent by 7 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W690 over the Olympus E-PL5

 W690 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony W690

 E-PL5 W690 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 has got outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony W690 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony W690 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the W690.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and W690 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor measurements just by checking out specifications. The photograph below should give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and W690.

Plainly, both cameras offer the same exact megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL5 comes with the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF less difficult. The more recent E-PL5 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography features
Sony W690 Portrait photography features
70
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
34
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Sony W690
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography info
Sony W690 Sports photography info
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography factors
Sony W690 Travel photography factors
75
has touch to focus
decent MP (16MP)
selfie friendly display
missing Timelapse mode
68
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography advice
Sony W690 Landscape photography advice
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
missing Timelapse mode
42
rather wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging highlights
Sony W690 Vlogging highlights
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
missing microphone jack
31
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic port
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony W690 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony W690
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-09-17 2012-02-28
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - ClearPhoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 secs -
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lbs) 142 grams (0.31 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 94 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 220 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $400 $297