Olympus OM-D
E-M5
 vs
Sony
NEX-5N

Updated (August, 2012): Compare the Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-5R

Sony NEX-5N

92

  
Olympus OM-D E-M5

89

  
Winner

Sony NEX-5N

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-5N

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,079 ISO
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
 
Runner-up

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Reasons to buy the Olympus OM-D E-M5

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
 

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-M5
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Startup delay Less startup delay 1100 ms vs 1900 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when turning on
Lens availability More lenses available 26 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 3.5x more lenses available
Battery life Longer battery life 500 shots vs 460 shots
Help
 Around 10% more shots per battery charge
Focus points Slightly more focus points 35 vs 25
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Longest exposure Longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Learn more about
the Olympus E-M5

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5N
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,079 ISO vs 826 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5N has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Movie continuous focus Continuous video focus Yes vs No
Help
 Record movies without worrying about focus
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 77.0 vs 71.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 More than 60% larger sensor
Size Significantly smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 122x89x43 mm
Help
 Around 50% smaller
Color depth Better color depth 23.6 bits vs 22.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Weight Significantly lighter 269 g vs 425 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.7 EV vs 12.3 EV
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 0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Thickness Thinner 1.5" vs 1.7"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $649.95 vs $999.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $349 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Sony NEX-5N Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5N
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus OM-D E-M5
89 vs 92
Explain scores
Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-5N
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony NEX-5N.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Light sensitivity Extremely good maximum light sensitivity Help
25,600 ISO
Touch screen Have touch screens Help
Less buttons
Battery life Great battery life Help
E-M5:500 shots
NEX-5N:460 shots
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
E-M5:71.0
NEX-5N:77.0
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
E-M5:12.3 EV
NEX-5N:12.7 EV
Color depth Good color depth Help
E-M5:22.8 bits
NEX-5N:23.6 bits
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
External flash Each supports an external flash Help
Better lighting
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5R

Sony NEX-5R

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$498 body only

$598 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Focuses automatically
Focus points Has significantly more focus points
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Compare the NEX-5R vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the NEX-5R vs the NEX-5N
Sony Alpha NEX-6

Sony Alpha NEX-6

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 body only

$898 with 16-50mm lens
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Size Is slightly larger
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the NEX-5N
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$948 body only

$1,098 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Weight Is slightly heavier
Light sensitivity Slightly lower maximum light sensitivity
Compare the NEX-7 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the NEX-7 vs the NEX-5N
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$829 with 14-42mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the NEX-5N
Canon EOS M

Canon EOS M

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 with 22mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Compare the EOS M vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the EOS M vs the NEX-5N
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the D5100 vs the NEX-5N
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$239 - $249 body only

$399 - $419 with 14-42mm lens
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Battery life Has a significantly shorter battery life
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the NEX-5N

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the X-E1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,298 body only

$2,599 with 12-35mm lens
GPS Has a GPS
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Panorama Lacks in-camera panoramic stitching
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH3 vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Battery life Much longer battery life
Lens availability Much more lenses available
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the D7100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,565
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the OM-D E-M5

Sony NEX-5N Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$656 - $782 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Less startup delay
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Touch screen No touch screen
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX-5N
Sony Alpha NEX-3N

Sony Alpha NEX-3N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$448 with 16-50mm lens
Image stabilization Image stabilization
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
Touch screen No touch screen
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Alpha NEX-3N vs the NEX-5N
Sony Alpha NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$399 - $730 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Less startup delay
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Touch screen No touch screen
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the NEX-5N
Samsung NX1000

Samsung NX1000

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$328 - $449 with 20-50mm lens
True resolution Higher true resolution
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Touch screen No touch screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the NX1000 vs the NEX-5N

appearance

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony NEX-5N
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony NEX-5N
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony NEX-5N

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