Olympus SH-50 vs Sony NEX-5

Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus SH-50 and Sony NEX-5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SH-50 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the SH-50 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-50 was announced 2 years after the NEX-5 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SH-50 scores versus the NEX-5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SH-50 and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SH-50 Gallery and Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-50 features outer dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SH-50 and Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the SH-50 vs the NEX-5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and NEX-5 is 88 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions merely by checking specs. The picture here might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and NEX-5.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SH-50 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus SH-50 will give you greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots way more aggressively. The newer SH-50 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.