Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus SZ-10 versus Sony NEX-5N, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-10 (14MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is pretty comparable but the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and NEX-5N (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-10 was launched 7 months prior to the NEX-5N so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summary of how the SZ-10 scores vs the NEX-5N in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-10 & Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery & Sony NEX-5N Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-10 has exterior dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-10 versus Sony NEX-5N in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-10 compared to the NEX-5N.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-10 and NEX-5N is 90 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions purely by seeing a spec sheet. The picture here might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-10 and NEX-5N.

Clearly, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-10 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony NEX-5N will show more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged SZ-10 will be behind in sensor tech.