Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony NEX-5R

Here, we are matching up the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony NEX-5R, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and NEX-5R (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

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The XZ-1 was released 19 months before the NEX-5R making them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the XZ-1 scores against the NEX-5R in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has got outer dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5R has measurements 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 XZ-1 and Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the XZ-1 vs the NEX-5R.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and NEX-5R is 88 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it can be difficult to see the difference between sensor dimensions merely by looking at technical specs. The pic below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and NEX-5R.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 because of its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Sony NEX-5R will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.