Olympus PEN
E-P3
 vs
Sony
NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

100
Winner

Sony NEX-5N

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-5N

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,079 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
77.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.6 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.7 EV
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Olympus PEN E-P3

60
Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-P3

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P3

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
3D
 Takes 3D photos
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Olympus E-P3
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
Lens availability More lenses available 26 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 3.5x more lenses available
Focus points Slightly more focus points 35 vs 25
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Thickness Thinner 1.3" vs 1.5"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Olympus PEN E-P3 Learn more about
the Olympus E-P3

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5N
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,079 ISO vs 536 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5N has excellent image quality 1 f-stop higher ISO than the E-P3
Overall image quality Much better image quality 77.0 vs 51.0
Help
 More than 50% better image quality
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5N's maximum light sensitivity is 4 f-stops better
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.7 EV vs 10.1 EV
Help
 2.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 23.6 bits vs 20.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2.8 more bits of color
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 614k dots
Help
 Around 50% higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 460 shots vs 330 shots
Help
 Around 40% more shots per battery charge
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 More than 60% larger sensor
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 3.5x faster continuous shooting
Weight Lighter 269 g vs 369 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Size Slightly smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 122x69x34 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Lowest price Cheaper $598.00 vs $849.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $251 cheaper (around 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 PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-P3
60 vs 100
Explain scores
Sony NEX-5N Sony NEX-5N
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony NEX-5N.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Touch screen Have touch screens Help
Less buttons
Movie format Full HD (1080p) video Help
E-P3:1080p @ 30fps
NEX-5N:1080p @ 60fps
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the NEX-7 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the NEX-7 vs the NEX-5N
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has much less startup delay
Light sensitivity (boost) Lacks boost light sensitivity
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX-5N
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the 1 J1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the 1 J1 vs the NEX-5N
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Startup delay Has much less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the D5100 vs the NEX-5N
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$643 - $1,125 body only

$731 - $964 with 14-42mm lens
Startup delay Has significantly less startup delay
Thickness Is thicker
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the NEX-5N
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$548 with 16mm lens
Startup delay Has much less startup delay
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Touch screen Doesn't have a touch screen
Compare the NEX C3 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the NEX C3 vs the NEX-5N
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$797 - $947 with 10-30mm lens
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PEN E-P3
Compare the 1 V1 vs the NEX-5N

Olympus PEN E-P3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-P2

Olympus PEN E-P2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$480 with 17mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Better image quality
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the PEN E-P2 vs the PEN E-P3

Sony NEX-5N Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-F3

Sony NEX-F3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$600 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Touch screen No touch screen
Movie continuous focus Doesn't focus continuously recording movies
Compare the NEX-F3 vs the NEX-5N

appearance

Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony NEX-5N
Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony NEX-5N
Olympus PEN E-P3 Sony NEX-5N

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Avatar for Low Budget Dave Low Budget Dave (11:31 PM, September 26, 2011)
The Olympus has a much faster focus.  If you are chasing around your kid, you will like it better.