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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5T front
Portability
89
Imaging
58
Features
79
Overall
66

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Launched February 2012
Sony NEX-5T
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Launched August 2013
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5R
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Overview

Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony NEX-5T, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the NEX-5T (16MP) is pretty similar but the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and NEX-5T (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was revealed 18 months before the NEX-5T which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5T being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short summation of how the SZ-31MR iHS matches up against the NEX-5T in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Sony NEX-5T

 SZ-31MR iHS NEX-5T 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5T over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 NEX-5T SZ-31MR iHS 
LaunchedAugust 2013February 2012Fresher by 18 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k920kClearer screen (+2k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony NEX-5T

 SZ-31MR iHS NEX-5T 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5T has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony NEX-5T in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS and the NEX-5T.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and NEX-5T is 89 and 89 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-31MR iHS and NEX-5T.

As you can see, both the cameras posses the exact same MP albeit different sensor sizing. The SZ-31MR iHS provides the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field harder. The older SZ-31MR iHS is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-5T Portrait photography information
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
has face detection autofocus
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
74
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Street photography with Sony NEX-5T
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides focus via touch
lighter than others (226 grams)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
80
screen tilts up and down
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
supports touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-5T Sports photography highlights
44
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (200 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
69
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
supports phase detect autofocus
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography information
Sony NEX-5T Travel photography information
67
lighter than others (226 grams)
provides focus via touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
77
supports touch to focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-5T Landscape photography features
41
pretty wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
70
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-5T Vlogging advice
35
pretty wide (25mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (226 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone support
73
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
no image stabilization
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-5T Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony NEX-5T
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSSony Alpha NEX-5T
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sony Alpha NEX-5T
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2012-02-08 2013-08-27
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Dual TruePic V Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 99
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD Tilt Up 180° Down 50° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.30 m 7.00 m (ISO100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x1080 (60p/60i/24p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lbs) 276 grams (0.61 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 78
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.0
DXO Low light score not tested 1015
Other
Battery life 200 photographs 330 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes ((10/2 sec. delay), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at release $0 $400