Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N
90 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
89 Imaging
56 Features
69 Overall
61
Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
- 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
- Announced February 2011
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
- Released October 2011
- Previous Model is Sony NEX-5
- Replacement is Sony NEX-5R
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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.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe 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.
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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.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Sony NEX-5N
| SZ-10 | NEX-5N |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Olympus SZ-10
| NEX-5N | SZ-10 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | October 2011 | February 2011 | Newer by 7 months | |
| Manual focus | More accurate focusing | |||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen resolution | 920k | 460k | Crisper screen (+460k dot) | |
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-10 and Sony NEX-5N
| SZ-10 | NEX-5N | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen dimensions | |
| Selfie screen | Neither has selfie screen |
Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison
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.
Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison
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.
Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications
| Olympus SZ-10 | Sony Alpha NEX-5N | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus SZ-10 | Sony Alpha NEX-5N |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Announced | 2011-02-08 | 2011-10-03 |
| Physical type | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | TruePic III+ | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14MP | 16MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4912 x 3264 |
| Highest native ISO | 1600 | 25600 |
| Minimum native ISO | 80 | 100 |
| RAW images | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Total focus points | - | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | Sony E |
| Lens zoom range | 28-504mm (18.0x) | - |
| Highest aperture | f/3.1-4.4 | - |
| Macro focusing range | 1cm | - |
| Available lenses | - | 121 |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 460k dots | 920k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch capability | ||
| Display technology | TFT Color LCD | Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | Electronic (optional) |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 10.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 7.10 m | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash synchronize | - | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 215 grams (0.47 lb) | 269 grams (0.59 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") | 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | not tested | 77 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 23.6 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.7 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 1079 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 220 images | 460 images |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | LI-50B | NPFW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Price at release | $300 | $550 |