Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5
96 Imaging
37 Features
24 Overall
31
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89 Imaging
54 Features
58 Overall
55
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
- Released January 2011
(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
- Launched June 2010
- Newer Model is Sony NEX-5N
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Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview
Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus VG-120 and Sony NEX-5, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the VG-120 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.
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The VG-120 was released 8 months after the NEX-5 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summation of how the VG-120 scores against the NEX-5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-120 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Sony NEX-5
VG-120 | NEX-5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2011 | ![]() | June 2010 | More modern by 8 months |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus VG-120
NEX-5 | VG-120 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial precise focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Sony NEX-5
VG-120 | NEX-5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same display measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither features selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither features Touch friendly display |
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus VG-120 enjoys physical measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).
Examine the Olympus VG-120 and Sony NEX-5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the VG-120 and the NEX-5.
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Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and NEX-5 is 96 and 89 respectively.
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Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison
Usually, its difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizes only by seeing a spec sheet. The pic here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-120 and NEX-5.
Clearly, the two cameras feature the identical resolution but different sensor sizes. The VG-120 offers the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF harder. The more recent VG-120 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.
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Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications
Olympus VG-120 | Sony Alpha NEX-5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus VG-120 | Sony Alpha NEX-5 |
Class | Ultracompact | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Released | 2011-01-06 | 2010-06-07 |
Body design | Ultracompact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4592 x 3056 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 200 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens zoom range | 26-130mm (5.0x) | - |
Max aperture | f/2.8-6.5 | - |
Macro focusing range | 7cm | - |
Total lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | - | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 4.40 m | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 120g (0.26 pounds) | 287g (0.63 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") | 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 69 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.2 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.2 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 796 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 160 shots | 330 shots |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-70B | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Price at launch | $190 | $599 |