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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Sony Alpha a5000 front
Portability
89
Imaging
63
Features
62
Overall
62

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Revealed January 2016
Sony a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Revealed January 2014
  • Previous Model is Sony NEX-3N
  • Later Model is Sony a5100
Photography Glossary

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Overview

The following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus PEN-F and Sony a5000, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the PEN-F (20MP) and the a5000 (20MP) is relatively comparable but the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and a5000 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The PEN-F was launched 2 years after the a5000 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before we go straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick summation of how the PEN-F scores vs the a5000 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Sony a5000

 PEN-F a5000 
RevealedJanuary 2016January 2014Newer by 25 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k461kCrisper screen (+576k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Olympus PEN-F

 a5000 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Sony a5000

 PEN-F a5000 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus PEN-F comes with outer measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony a5000 has specifications of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus PEN-F and Sony a5000 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the PEN-F and the a5000.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and a5000 is 84 and 89 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by checking out technical specs. The image below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and a5000.

As you have seen, both of those cameras offer the same exact megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The PEN-F has the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier. The more modern PEN-F is going to have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography info
Sony a5000 Portrait photography info
75
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
71
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Sony a5000 as a Street photography camera
84
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch focus
above average high ISO (25,600)
78
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography factors
Sony a5000 Sports photography factors
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
60
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
good battery life (420 shots)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography info
Sony a5000 Travel photography info
75
includes touch focus
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery pack (330 per charge)
78
good battery life (420 shots)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
built-in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus PEN-F
Landscape photography with Sony a5000
76
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
77
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (420 per charge)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging factors
Sony a5000 Vlogging factors
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have mic socket
32
includes face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony a5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Sony a5000
 Olympus PEN-FSony Alpha a5000
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN-F Sony Alpha a5000
Category Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2016-01-27 2014-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 5456 x 3632
Highest native ISO 25600 16000
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.6
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,037k dot 461k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 427 gr (0.94 lbs) 269 gr (0.59 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 79
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 13.0
DXO Low light rating 894 1089
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 420 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $1,000 $448