Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5
96 Imaging
36 Features
24 Overall
31
89 Imaging
53 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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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.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe 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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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.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and NEX-5 is 96 and 89 respectively.
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.
Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder
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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 |