Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-5N

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-5N, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SH-2 (16MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is pretty close but the SH-2 (1/2.3") and NEX-5N (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-2 was launched 3 years after the NEX-5N which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick summation of how the SH-2 grades against the NEX-5N in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-2 & Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SH-2 Gallery & Sony NEX-5N Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-2 features outside dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-5N in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the SH-2 vs the NEX-5N.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-2 and NEX-5N is 88 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by looking through a spec sheet. The image here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-2 and NEX-5N.

Clearly, the two cameras provide the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizes. The SH-2 contains the smaller sensor which will make achieving bokeh tougher. The newer SH-2 will have an edge in sensor tech.