Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony NEX-5

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony NEX-5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL8 was revealed 6 years after the NEX-5 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL8 grades versus the NEX-5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL8 has got external measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony NEX-5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL8 versus the NEX-5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and NEX-5 is 86 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, it can be tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes just by viewing specs. The pic underneath might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and NEX-5.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PL8 will render more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The more recent E-PL8 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.