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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Revealed August 2012
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
  • Introduced August 2012
  • Replaced the Sony NEX-5N
  • Newer Model is Sony NEX-5T
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-5R, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The VH-515 was brought out around the same time to the NEX-5R which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the VH-515 scores vs the NEX-5R in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony NEX-5R

 VH-515 NEX-5R 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Olympus VH-515

 NEX-5R VH-515 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k460kClearer screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-5R

 VH-515 NEX-5R 
IntroducedAugust 2012August 2012Similar age
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus VH-515 has physical measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5R has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

See the Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-5R in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use during that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the VH-515 versus the NEX-5R.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the VH-515 and NEX-5R is 95 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through specifications. The graphic here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the VH-515 and NEX-5R.

Plainly, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The VH-515 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5R will give greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VH-515
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5R
27
has face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
74
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-5R as a Street photography camera
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides focus via touch
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
80
tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography info
Sony NEX-5R Sports photography info
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
max fps very slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
68
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography info
Sony NEX-5R Travel photography info
62
provides focus via touch
has built in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
73
boasts focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-5R Landscape photography information
37
relatively wide (26mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
75
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus VH-515
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5R
35
relatively wide (26mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have microphone socket
31
touchscreen enabled
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
missing microphone jack
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony NEX-5R
 Olympus VH-515Sony Alpha NEX-5R
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VH-515 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-08-21 2012-08-29
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS 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 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 99
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.70 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 152g (0.34 lbs) 276g (0.61 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 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 - 330 pictures
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $648 $750