Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5
86 Imaging
53 Features
81 Overall
64
89 Imaging
53 Features
58 Overall
55
Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
- Revealed September 2014
- Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
- Newer Model is Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
- Released June 2010
- Newer Model is Sony NEX-5N
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On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-PL7 was manufactured 4 years later than the NEX-5 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL7 grades versus the NEX-5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL7 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Sony NEX-5
| E-PL7 | NEX-5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | September 2014 | June 2010 | Fresher by 52 months | |
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 920k | Crisper screen (+117k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies | |||
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus E-PL7
| NEX-5 | E-PL7 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony NEX-5
| E-PL7 | NEX-5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Dial exact focusing | |||
| Screen type | Tilting | Tilting | Tilting screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen dimensions |
Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison
If you're looking to carry your camera, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 has outer dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5 has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).
See the Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL7 and the NEX-5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and NEX-5 is 86 and 89 respectively.
Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing only by reviewing specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and NEX-5.
All in all, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PL7 will offer you more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The younger E-PL7 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.
Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL7 | Sony Alpha NEX-5 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL7 | Sony Alpha NEX-5 |
| Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Revealed | 2014-09-01 | 2010-06-07 |
| Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VII | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16MP | 14MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW data | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Total lenses | 107 | 121 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch capability | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shutter speed | 8.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | no built-in flash | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | - | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | 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 | 357 grams (0.79 pounds) | 287 grams (0.63 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") | 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 72 | 69 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 22.7 | 22.2 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.4 | 12.2 |
| DXO Low light rating | 873 | 796 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 images | 330 images |
| Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLS-50 | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Pricing at release | $499 | $599 |