Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-5N: A Hands-On Comparison for Serious Enthusiasts and Budget-Conscious Pros

Choosing the right camera is never a straightforward decision, especially when you pit two very different beasts against each other. On one side, the Olympus SH-2, a compact superzoom marvel from 2015 promising a whopping 24x optical zoom in a pocketable form factor. On the other, the Sony NEX-5N, an entry-level mirrorless from 2011 that helped set the stage for today’s compact camera revolution with its interchangeable lens system and APS-C sensor.

Having spent years testing cameras covering everything from wildlife to nightscapes, I’m here to unpack what these two cameras really bring to the table - the real-world nitty-gritty, not just spec sheet parroting. Whether you’re chasing portraits, landscapes, or travel shots - or just want good bang for your buck - this comparison zeroes in on exactly what you need to know.

Let’s dive in.

First Impressions: Size, Feel, and Ergonomics

When picking up cameras, initial ergonomics can make or break the user experience - especially after long shooting sessions. Here, the Olympus SH-2 and Sony NEX-5N are surprisingly close in size and weight, although their body styles tell you a lot about their focus and target users.

The Olympus SH-2 is a compact superzoom with a fixed lens, housed in a sturdy yet pocketable chassis measuring 109 x 63 x 42 mm and tipping the scales at 271 grams including battery. Its straight-from-the-pocket profile is attractive for casual outings and travel, where weight and bulk matter. The grip is subtle but serviceable, and all buttons are sensibly placed for quick access - albeit without any customisable “clubs for thumbs” controls.

In contrast, the Sony NEX-5N goes for a rangefinder-style mirrorless build at 111 x 59 x 38 mm and a slightly lighter 269 grams (just a hair lighter than Olympus, surprisingly). The tilt screen and small but distinctive grip cater to users who prefer deliberate control, complemented by the fact this is a lens-interchangeable system offering much more customization - the tactile feel of metal and plastic blends delivering a solid yet light experience.

We can glean even more on top-line control differences when looking at the top views:

Olympus opts for a straightforward control approach, with fewer dials and external buttons, streamlining operation but limiting instant setting tweaks. The Sony sports dedicated exposure compensation and mode dials, accommodating quick manual adjustments - crucial for photographers who like to be “in charge” of their shots without falling into fiddly menus.

Bottom line: For those who prize simplicity and portability, the SH-2 wins in ease-of-carry and instant-on shooting. For photographers wanting more tactile feedback and dedicated manual controls, the NEX-5N’s mirrorless ergonomics are immediately more professional-feeling.

Peering Inside: Sensor Size and Image Quality

Now we get to the heart of the imaging story: the sensor.

The Olympus SH-2 sports a 1/2.3” BSI-CMOS sensor, measuring a tiny 6.17 x 4.55 mm with a sensor area of just 28 mm². That’s a compact sensor typical of superzoom compacts. It offers 16 megapixels, which allows for decent resolutions (4608 x 3456), but beyond raw pixel count, the physical sensor size places hard limits on dynamic range and low-light performance.

Sony’s NEX-5N, in stark contrast, employs a 16MP APS-C sensor - a much larger 23.4 x 15.6 mm chip with a whopping 365 mm² area. This is roughly 13x larger than the Olympus sensor, a massive advantage technically and practically. The APS-C sensor captures significantly more light per pixel, resulting in superior dynamic range, color depth, and low-light capabilities.

DXOmark confirms this with scores: The NEX-5N scores a solid 77 overall, praised for its excellent color depth (23.6 bits) and impressive dynamic range (12.7 EV) - numbers that will delight landscape and portrait shooters alike. The SH-2, unfortunately, wasn’t tested on DXOmark, but experiences with similar sized sensors in other Olympus compacts hint at noticeably lower dynamic range and color fidelity.

What does this mean in real life? The NEX-5N captures images with richer colors, subtle tonal gradations, and less noise at high ISO - crucial for nightscapes and indoor shooting. The SH-2’s sensor tradeoff is partly balanced by the focal flexibility but expect less latitude to pull detail from shadows or highlights.

Working the Screen and Interface: User Experience in Action

A camera’s screen is your creative window and command center.

Both have 3-inch displays with touch functionality - a good base modern feature - but the resolution and tilt mechanisms differ in their impact on usability.

The SH-2’s fixed screen offers 460k dots, which is serviceable but notably grainy compared to the NEX-5N’s 920k dots. Sharpness matters a lot when reviewing images for focus precision and exposure accuracy on the fly, making Sony’s screen a clear step up here.

The NEX-5N also sports a very useful tilting OLED LCD that pivots up 80° and down 45°, helping with shooting at awkward angles - essential for street photography or macro work where you might want to keep low or shoot overhead. The SH-2’s fixed screen is a bit less versatile in this regard, limiting certain framing opportunities.

Both systems have touch-enabled menus, but in practice, the Sony’s menu system is snappier and more intuitively designed (probably thanks to its Bionz engine), while Olympus’s TruePic VII processor, despite being capable, leads to a slightly more sluggish interface.

Zoom Versus Interchangeable Lenses: Flexibility That Counts

Here’s where these two diverge significantly in purpose and user approach.

The Olympus SH-2 is a fixed-lens superzoom with an extraordinary focal range of 25-600 mm (24x zoom) - equivalent to about 1400mm in 35mm full frame terms (given its 5.8x focal length multiplier). This is exceptional for a compact, letting you cover ultra-wide landscapes through to distant wildlife or sports without changing lenses.

The trade-off? The lens has a slow variable aperture of F3.0 to F6.9, which means in telephoto and lower-light scenarios it struggles to gather enough light, impacting shutter speeds and ISO needs. But the convenience is undeniable for those who want one tool, no muss.

The Sony NEX-5N opens the door to the vast Sony E-mount lens ecosystem, boasting over 120 native lenses ranging from ultra-wide primes to telephoto zooms, and fast aperture glass. Examples include compact primes for portraits with creamy bokeh and specialist macro lenses for close-focus work. This system flexibility means you can logically build a kit tailored to your genres and style, trading weight and cost for image quality and creative control.

If you’re considering wildlife or sports shooting seriously, Sony’s lens options deliver superior optics, faster apertures, and in some cases, professional-grade autofocus performance unmatched by Olympus’s single lens.

Autofocus Performance and Shooting Speed: Catching the Unexpected

Autofocus technology is especially critical for fast-moving subjects like sports and wildlife, or for precise focus in macro and portraits.

Olympus SH-2 uses a contrast-detection AF system with face detection and multi-area AF capability. It supports continuous AF tracking at an impressive 11.5 frames per second burst rate, making it speedy in burst shooting for a compact. However, contrast-detection AF is inherently slower and more prone to “hunting” in low light or with erratic subjects compared to phase-detection systems.

Sony NEX-5N relies on a contrast-detection only AF system as well (no phase detection in this early mirrorless), with 25 focus points. It boasts respectable but slower burst shooting at 10 fps. The Sony’s AF accuracy and speed shine more in static or slower-moving scenarios. Tracking accuracy suffers compared to modern cameras, requiring more patience or AF assist light.

Neither camera features modern AI face or eye-detection AF seen on recent models, but both have decent face detection modes for portraits. The lack of animal eye AF in either is a drawback for wildlife shooters seeking pinpoint autofocus.

Low Light and High ISO Performance: Night Owls and Astro Enthusiasts Beware or Dare

When the sun sets, sensor size really pays off.

The Olympus SH-2 maxes out at ISO 6400 but don’t expect stellar noise control at the upper end given the small sensor and tiny pixels. Images at ISO 1600+ tend to get noisy quickly, limiting its usefulness in low-light weddings or astro photography. The built-in sensor-shift image stabilization helps when shooting handheld in dim conditions, but noise remains a bottleneck.

The Sony NEX-5N excels with a max ISO of 25600, and DXO low-light ISO ratings confirm its low noise and excellent detail retention - a real boon when shooting indoors, concerts, or starry skies. Coupled with fast prime lenses in the E-mount range, the NEX-5N opens doors to creative possibilities where light is scarce.

Video Capabilities: How Do They Stack Up?

Both cameras deliver respectable Full HD video but with important distinctions.

• Olympus SH-2 records 1080p at 60fps using H.264 codec, appealing for smooth motion capture. Its sensor-shift stabilization works well to reduce handheld shake for video.

• Sony NEX-5N also supports 1080p at 60fps, recorded in AVCHD format offering better overall compression and editing flexibility internationally. However, it lacks in-body image stabilization requiring stabilized lenses or rigs.

Neither camera has microphone or headphone ports, which limits on-site audio tweaking - a pain point for serious videographers but acceptable for hobbyist use.

For casual video creators on a budget, the Olympus’s built-in stabilization might offer a slight edge in producing shake-free handheld footage.

Durability, Build Quality, and Weather Sealing

Neither of these two is aimed at hardcore adventure photographers; both lack weather sealing, dustproofing, or any ruggedness.

The Olympus SH-2 has a plastic body but feels solid for its class, with some internal bracing to minimize flex. Sony’s NEX-5N features a more metal-heavy construction imparting superior durability for repeated professional use under controlled conditions.

Neither will survive rough rain or extreme cold - take proper care or invest in protective housings if that’s your use case.

Battery Life and Storage Options: How Long Can You Shoot?

Battery life can be a big hassle if you rely on all-day shooting.

The Olympus SH-2 promises around 380 shots per charge (CIPA), which is respectable for a compact but modest when compared to DSLRs or newer mirrorless cameras. The battery is proprietary (LI-92B).

The Sony NEX-5N boasts a longer approx. 460 shots per charge, giving an edge to those covering events or travelling with limited charging access. Its NPFW50 battery is well-tested in the Sony ecosystem.

Storage-wise, both use SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, but Sony also supports Memory Stick Pro Duo. Neither support dual card slots, so managing cards for backup is less convenient for pro workflows.

Real-World Performance Across Genres: What Each Camera Excels At and Where They Struggle

Let’s see how the cameras shape up across different photography styles. The following image highlights genre-specific camera scoring from experience and technical reviews:

Portrait Photography

• Sony NEX-5N wins with better skin tone rendering, superior dynamic range to capture subtle shadows, and access to a variety of fast prime lenses for buttery bokeh and sharp eyes. Face detection works reliably, though no eye AF.

• Olympus SH-2 covers basics well, but background separation is limited by the small sensor and slower aperture range, resulting in less flattering bokeh.

Landscape Photography

• Sony, with its larger APS-C sensor, produces cleaner sky gradients and sharper landscapes at base ISO, paired with optics like the Sony 16-50mm kit or primes.

• Olympus’s ultra-wide to super-tele zoom is versatile, but noise and limited dynamic range may impact final landscape print quality.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

• Olympus’s 24x zoom lets you get close without carrying giant lenses - an alluring all-in-one option for casual birding or vacation.

• Sony lenses and better sensor quality make tracking and image quality superior, but gap in autofocus speed and burst compromises fast action coverage.

Street Photography

• Sony’s smaller mirrorless body with tilt screen and compact primes make it the preferred choice.

• Olympus is bulkier and zoom lens draw more attention - less discreet.

Macro Photography

• Sony’s lens system includes macro lenses offering reliable close-ups.

• Olympus macro focusing distance of 3 cm is respectable, but image quality slower aperture limits detail and low light performance.

Night and Astro Photography

• Sony APS-C wins hands down for low noise and good dynamic range.

• Olympus limited to low ISO usage, best for moonshots with tripod.

Video

• Olympus offers better video stabilization and slightly smoother frame rate options.

• Sony delivers higher quality codecs but requires stabilized lenses or rigs.

Travel Photography

Olympus SH 2 front Olympus SH 2 screen back Sony NEX 5N front Sony NEX 5N screen back

• Olympus SH-2’s one-lens convenience and lightweight build is hard to beat for casual travel.

• Sony’s versatility grows with lenses but adds bulk and cost.

Pricing and Value: Which Camera Gets You More Bang for Your Buck?

At retail:

• Olympus SH-2 retails near $399, offering a compact, all-inclusive zoom camera at an affordable price.

• Sony NEX-5N retails around $550 (body-only in 2024 pricing) but with vastly more expandable lens options and superior image quality.

Given that both cameras were announced years ago, used market prices vary widely, but Sony NEX-5N generally holds better resale given its stronger system foundations and sensor specs.

If you’re a cheapskate on a tight budget seeking maximum zoom versatility in a grab-and-go compact, Olympus SH-2 delivers solid value.

If you’re willing to invest up front for better image quality and long-term flexibility, Sony NEX-5N is the smarter purchase.

Wrapping It Up: Scores at a Glance and Final Thoughts

The Sony NEX-5N rates higher overall for image quality, flexibility, and dynamic shooting needs, while Olympus SH-2 scores points for convenience, zoom reach, and video stabilization.

Pros Summary

Cons Summary

Who Should Choose Which Camera?

• Choose Olympus SH-2 if:

  • You want a straightforward, powerful zoom in a compact for travel or casual use.
  • You prioritize simplicity over interchangeable lenses or sensor size.
  • Your photography is mostly daylight, family outings, or casual wildlife shooting.
  • You want decent video capability with built-in stabilization.
  • Budget is tight and you want an all-in-one solution without lens swaps.

• Choose Sony NEX-5N if:

  • You want superior image quality with a bigger sensor and can invest in lenses.
  • You shoot portraits, landscapes, or low-light photography seriously.
  • You value manual controls, exposure options, and a richer interface.
  • You want fast, flexible lenses for creative exploration (e.g., macro, primes).
  • You don’t mind managing more gear and carrying extra lenses.

Final Verdict: Experience Matters, and So Does Purpose

No camera is perfect; each is a toolkit tailored toward certain goals.

The Olympus SH-2 excels as an all-purpose travel-friendly superzoom that fits in a jacket pocket - no fuss, no lens-matching headaches. It's a reliable companion for enthusiasts who want simplicity and reach, and respectable image quality in good light.

By contrast, the Sony NEX-5N is a game-changer for enthusiasts willing to dive into mirrorless systems. Its APS-C sensor and lens flexibility offer genuine creative control and professional-grade image quality for a modest price. The tradeoff is a slightly less compact setup and learning curve.

For my money (and having tested thousands of cameras): If I wanted one camera for vacation snapshots with a big zoom, Olympus SH-2 is a winner. But for serious image quality, versatility, and future-proofing, the Sony NEX-5N remains a smart, attainable classic.

Think carefully about your shooting style, priorities, and budget. Hopefully, with this deep dive, the right answer now feels clearer.

Happy shooting!

Every photographer’s needs differ, and having handled both cameras extensively, I can confirm each occupies a unique but valuable niche. Want more hands-on advice? Drop a line, and I’ll be glad to help further!