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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Released January 2014
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-5N
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is very well matched but the TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-850 iHS was revealed 3 years later than the NEX-5 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the TG-850 iHS matches up against the NEX-5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Sony NEX-5

 TG-850 iHS NEX-5 
IntroducedJanuary 2014June 2010Fresher by 45 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 NEX-5 TG-850 iHS 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Sony NEX-5

 TG-850 iHS NEX-5 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-850 iHS has external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") having a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has measurements of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the TG-850 iHS compared to the NEX-5.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-850 iHS and NEX-5 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by reading through specs. The visual here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-850 iHS and NEX-5.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The TG-850 iHS with its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will resolve greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more modern TG-850 iHS will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Portrait photography camera
35
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
72
you can focus manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Street photography factors
Sony NEX-5 Street photography factors
69
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
76
tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Sports photography info
Sony NEX-5 Sports photography info
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery pack (330 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Travel photography camera
72
great battery pack (330 shots)
weather sealing
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (21mm)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
59
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Landscape photography camera
50
decently wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
great battery pack (330 per charge)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging information
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging information
33
decently wide (21mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
lack of external mic port
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-850 iHS and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHSSony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS Sony Alpha NEX-5
Category Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2014-01-29 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII 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 surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4616 x 3464 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 125 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 1/2 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 7.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Yes None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 218 grams (0.48 lbs) 287 grams (0.63 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 796
Other
Battery life 330 shots 330 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $250 $599