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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Announced December 2012
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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
Photography Glossary

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Here is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony NEX-5, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty close but the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and NEX-5 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-2 iHS was revealed 2 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up against the NEX-5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Sony NEX-5

 XZ-2 iHS NEX-5 
LaunchedDecember 2012June 2010Fresher by 31 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 NEX-5 XZ-2 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-5

 XZ-2 iHS NEX-5 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution920k920kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with exterior dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Sony NEX-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the XZ-2 iHS vs the NEX-5.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-5 is 85 and 89 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and NEX-5.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern XZ-2 iHS provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography features
Sony NEX-5 Portrait photography features
46
you can focus manually
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography details
Sony NEX-5 Street photography details
66
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition in class (346 grams)
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Sports photography with Sony NEX-5
43
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery life (340 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
no phase detect AF
52
MP count good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography factors
61
better than average battery life (340 CIPA)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
lack of Timelapse recording
more heavy than competition in class (346g)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
59
MP count good (14MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5
55
you can focus manually
relatively wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (340 shots)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
lack of Timelapse recording
68
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
MP count good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Vlogging camera
36
relatively wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external microphone socket
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competition in class (346 grams)
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have external mic socket
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Sony NEX-5
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSSony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sony Alpha NEX-5
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2012-12-18 2010-06-07
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 12800 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/1.8-2.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
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 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 346 gr (0.76 lb) 287 gr (0.63 lb)
Dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 69
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 22.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 12.2
DXO Low light rating 216 796
Other
Battery life 340 images 330 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-90B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $450 $599