Olympus TG-5 vs Sony NEX-5R

Its time to look closer at the Olympus TG-5 vs Sony NEX-5R, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the TG-5 (12MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the TG-5 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The TG-5 was revealed 4 years later than the NEX-5R and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-5 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the TG-5 matches up vs the NEX-5R with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Tough TG-5 and Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The full galleries are provided at Olympus TG-5 Gallery and Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus TG-5 provides outer dimensions of 113mm x 66mm x 32mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5R has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-5 vs Sony NEX-5R in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the TG-5 against the NEX-5R.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-5 and NEX-5R is 90 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to see the difference in sensor sizing purely by seeing technical specs. The visual here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-5 and NEX-5R.

As you can tell, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The TG-5 with its smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony NEX-5R will produce more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The newer TG-5 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.