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Olympus PEN E-P1 vs Sony Alpha NEX-5

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

OlympusPEN E-P1SonyAlpha NEX-5
Overview
ReleasedJuly 2009June 2010
Image and sensor
Camera typeMirrorlessMirrorless
Sensor formatFour ThirdsAPS-C
Sensor typeHigh-speed Live MOSExmor APS HD CMOS
Sensor dimensions17.3 × 13 mm23.4 × 15.6 mm
Effective resolution12.3 MP14.2 MP
Largest image4032 × 30244592 × 3056
RAW recordingYesYes
Standard ISO range100–6400200–12800
Sensor detail4/3-type Live MOS; approximately 13.1 million total photosites, 4:3 aspect ratio; Supersonic Wave Filter dust reduction14.6 million total pixels; charge-protection coating on the optical low-pass filter and electromagnetic vibration for dust reduction
Image formats12-bit losslessly compressed RAW, JPEG and RAW+JPEG; sRGB and Adobe RGB. Aspect options 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 6:6; JPEG cropped to selected ratio while RAW records aspect metadataJPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony's original Japanese launch table specifies ARW 2.2; some contemporary secondary specifications say ARW 2.1
ISO detailManual ISO 100–6400 in 1/3 or 1 EV steps; automatic ISO 200–6400 customisable, default 200–1600Standard ISO 200–12800; Auto ISO 200–1600 in Sony's launch release
Image processorTruePic VBIONZ
Lens and shooting
Lens mountMicro Four ThirdsSony E-mount
StabilisationSensor shiftOptical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst3 fps7 fps
Lens detailLens kit includes M.Zuiko Digital ED 14–42mm F3.5–5.6; pancake kit 17mm F2.8 and VF-1 optical finder. These interchangeable kit lenses are not built-in camera specificationsInterchangeable E-mount; launch kits use E 16mm F2.8 and/or E 18–55mm F3.5–5.6 OSS. The launch LA-EA1 A-mount adapter supports manual focusing; later firmware changes are separate from the original launch specification.
AutofocusEleven-area contrast-detection High-Speed Imager AF; single AF, continuous AF, manual focus and single AF plus manual override. Live View magnification 7× or 10×. Adapted Four Thirds lenses operate single AF when continuous AF is selectedContrast detection; 25-point multipoint, centre and flexible-spot areas; single or continuous autofocus, direct manual focus and manual focus
ShutterElectronically controlled focal-plane shutter, 60–1/4000 second; Bulb up to 30 minutes, default eight minutes. Optional RM-UC1 wired remote supports Bulb control; Anti-Shock delay 1/8–30 secondsElectronically controlled vertical-traverse focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/4000 second plus Bulb; flash sync 1/160 second
Burst detailMaker continuous rate approximately 3 fps. Buffer approximately 10 RAW or 12 large-normal JPEG under maker conditions with Toshiba Super High Speed Class 6 4 GB card; JPEG count depends on resolution and compressionSpeed Priority Continuous reaches approximately 7 fps with focus and exposure fixed at the first frame. Normal Continuous Advance reaches approximately 2.3 fps. Separate Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur modes combine six photographs into one output image.
Stabilisation detailSensor shift for stills, with normal and horizontal/vertical panning modes and manual focal-length input for adapted lenses. Maker claims up to 4 EV depending on lens and shooting conditions. Movie mode uses electronic correction with a slight cropNo sensor-shift stabilisation; Optical SteadyShot requires a compatible lens. The E 18–55mm OSS kit lens has optical correction; the E 16mm kit lens does not.
FlashNo built-in flash; hot shoe supports FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-20 and FL-14. Flash synchronisation 1/180 second or slower; external flash compensation ±3 EVSupplied detachable flash mounts to the Smart Accessory Terminal; guide number 7 at ISO 100 in metres; approximately four-second recycle time
Exposure controlsiAUTO, Program with shift, aperture priority, shutter priority, Manual, scene modes and six Art Filters. 324-zone digital ESP, centre-weighted and spot metering with highlight/shadow options; ±3 EV compensation. Two-axis level gauge; two My Mode settingsIntelligent Auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual; scene modes, Sweep Panorama, DRO and three-exposure Auto HDR
Video
Highest video resolution1280 × 720 at 30 fps1920 × 1080
Video detailAVI Motion JPEG at 30 fps: 1280 × 720, 16:9, or 640 × 480, 4:3. Maximum individual recording approximately seven minutes HD or fourteen minutes VGA. Certain Art Filters lower the frame rateAVCHD 1920 × 1080 interlaced recording; Japanese launch model uses 60i (60 fields per second), with PAL 50i variants documented in the instruction manual. MP4 offers 1440 × 1080 or 640 × 480; the Japanese release gives 30p. The interlaced field rate is not a 60-full-frame-per-second claim. Approximately 29 minutes maximum continuous recording under the manual's conditions.
AudioBuilt-in stereo microphone and mono playback speaker. Stereo linear PCM, 16-bit 44.1 kHz, WAVE format; still-photo audio recording up to thirty secondsBuilt-in stereo microphone; AVCHD Dolby Digital two-channel audio or MP4 AAC-LC; optional Sony stereo microphone uses the accessory terminal
Screen and viewfinder
ViewfinderNoneNone
Screen size3″3″
Screen dots230,000921,600
Touchscreen–No
Tilting screenNoYes
Display detailFixed HyperCrystal LCD with 100% Live View coverage, ±7-step brightness and colour-temperature adjustmentTruBlack wide TFT; tilts approximately 80° up and 45° down; 921,600 dots count RGB subpixels; no touchscreen (Photography Blog)
Viewfinder detailNo built-in finder; optional VF-1 optical finder supplied with the 17mm pancake kit uses the hot shoe, so cannot be fitted simultaneously with a shoe-mounted flash–
Connections and design
Battery life (maker's claim)300 photographs330 photographs
Body weight335 g229 g
Release detailOlympus support dates E-P1 to July 2009. The Japanese 16 June announcement schedules lens and pancake kits for 3 July, and made-to-order body-only versions for late July; month precision represents the model rather than assigning the kit day to every configurationSony Japan specifies 3 June 2010 for NEX-5A, NEX-5K and NEX-5D kits. This is the original NEX-5, not the later NEX-5N, 5R or 5T.
Recording mediaSD and SDHC memory cardsMemory Stick PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
PortsHi-Speed USB 2.0 and selectable NTSC/PAL analogue AV through proprietary multi-connector; same connector accepts RM-UC1 wired remote. Mini HDMI Type C provides HD video and stereo audio; flash hot shoeMini-B USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, Mini HDMI Type C and proprietary Smart Accessory Terminal
Battery life detailBLS-1 rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Maker CIPA claim approximately 300 photographs using BLS-1 and Toshiba Class 6 4 GB SDHC cardNP-FW50; approximately 330 photographs under CIPA conditions, using the supplied fully charged battery and flash for half the shots
Charging–Supplied BC-VW1 external charger
Dimensions120.5 × 70 × 35 mm (width × height × depth), excluding protrusionsApproximately 110.8 × 58.8 × 38.2 mm (width × height × depth), excluding protrusions
Weight detailApproximately 335 g body only, excluding battery, card and lensApproximately 229 g camera only; 287 g including battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo; both exclude the lens
MaterialsMetal exterior; silver version has hairline finishingMagnesium-alloy front cover
ColoursSilver and whiteBlack or silver
In the box–NP-FW50 battery, BC-VW1 charger, USB cable, detachable flash and flash case, shoulder strap, software CD; lenses depend on kit

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