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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-145 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Olympus VG-145
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Launched July 2011
Sony NEX-5R
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Released August 2012
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5N
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5T
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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus VG-145 and Sony NEX-5R, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VG-145 (14MP) and the NEX-5R (16MP) is relatively well matched but the VG-145 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The VG-145 was introduced 13 months prior to the NEX-5R which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-145 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the VG-145 grades against the NEX-5R when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-145 over the Sony NEX-5R

 VG-145 NEX-5R 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Olympus VG-145

 NEX-5R VG-145 
ReleasedAugust 2012July 2011More recent by 13 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus VG-145 and Sony NEX-5R

 VG-145 NEX-5R 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-145 comes with outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) while 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).

See the Olympus VG-145 and Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the VG-145 and the NEX-5R.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-145 and NEX-5R is 96 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements merely by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-145 and NEX-5R.

As you can see, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-145 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5R will give greater detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older VG-145 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-5R Portrait photography advice
33
resolution is good (14MP)
provides face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
74
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Street photography details
Sony NEX-5R Street photography details
48
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
80
screen tilts
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
boasts focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus VG-145
Sports photography with Sony NEX-5R
26
resolution is good (14MP)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery life (160 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
68
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
sensor has phase detect AF
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Travel photography info
Sony NEX-5R Travel photography info
62
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (26mm)
no Timelapse function
bad battery life (160 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
73
boasts focus via touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Landscape photography info
Sony NEX-5R Landscape photography info
36
quite wide (26mm)
good sized screen (3")
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
bad battery life (160 CIPA)
no Timelapse function
75
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-145 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5R as a Vlogging camera
28
quite wide (26mm)
provides face detect autofocus
slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone port
31
touchscreen
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
doesn't have mic support
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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-145 and Sony NEX-5R
 Olympus VG-145Sony Alpha NEX-5R
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VG-145 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2011-07-27 2012-08-29
Physical type Ultracompact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD 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 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 99
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT Color LCD Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate - 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.40 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120 grams (0.26 lbs) 276 grams (0.61 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 78
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.1
DXO Low light score not tested 910
Other
Battery life 160 images 330 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $0 $750