Olympus 1s vs Sony NEX-5

Let's look more closely at the Olympus 1s vs Sony NEX-5, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the 1s (12MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty similar but the 1s (1/1.7") and NEX-5 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The 1s was brought out 4 years after the NEX-5 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1s being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the 1s grades vs the NEX-5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 1s & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus 1s Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus 1s provides outer measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") and a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Check out the Olympus 1s vs Sony NEX-5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the 1s against the NEX-5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 1s and NEX-5 is 79 and 89 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes only by going over technical specs. The pic here will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the 1s and NEX-5.

As you have seen, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 1s because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-5 will offer more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The newer 1s will have an edge in sensor tech.