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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
26
Overall
33
Olympus VG-160 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
Sony NEX-5R
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Released August 2012
  • Old Model is Sony NEX-5N
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5T
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus VG-160 versus Sony NEX-5R, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the NEX-5R (16MP) is very comparable but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The VG-160 was revealed 7 months before the NEX-5R and they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the VG-160 scores vs the NEX-5R when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Sony NEX-5R

 VG-160 NEX-5R 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Olympus VG-160

 NEX-5R VG-160 
ReleasedAugust 2012January 2012More modern by 7 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-5R

 VG-160 NEX-5R 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-160 provides exterior dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5R has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VG-160 versus Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the VG-160 vs the NEX-5R.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and NEX-5R is 96 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The pic below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and NEX-5R.

Clearly, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The VG-160 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony NEX-5R will show greater detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged VG-160 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-5R Portrait photography advice
34
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
has face detect focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
74
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VG-160
Street photography with Sony NEX-5R
56
lighter than others (125 grams)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Sports photography details
Sony NEX-5R Sports photography details
27
MP count decent (14MP)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (165 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
68
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
supports phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5R as a Travel photography camera
66
lighter than others (125g)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (165 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
73
supports touch focus
good MP (16MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-5R Landscape photography factors
37
reasonably wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
MP count decent (14MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery power (165 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
75
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5R as a Vlogging camera
30
reasonably wide (26mm)
has face detect focusing
lighter than others (125g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone support
31
touchscreen functionality
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
no external microphone port
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-160 and Sony NEX-5R
 Olympus VG-160Sony Alpha NEX-5R
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VG-160 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2012-01-10 2012-08-29
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - 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 surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4288 x 3216 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 99
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 7cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.80 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 125g (0.28 lb) 276g (0.61 lb)
Physical 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 Overall rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 910
Other
Battery life 165 images 330 images
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 With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at release $90 $750