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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Olympus E-5

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-5
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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Olympus E-5, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, E-5 is 3 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-02-03
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 800g. 143 x 117 x 75 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Olympus E-3 Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Olympus E-5

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Olympus E-5
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Viewfinder Magnification
0.71x vs 0.58x Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO
409.600 vs 6.400 6300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
25 vs 11 14 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 920k dots 33% higher resolution screen
Weight
489 g vs 800 g 311 g lighter
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Color Depth
23.9 vs 21.6 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.2 vs 10.5 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 519 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 18.45µm2 286% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone


Reasons to choose Olympus E-5 over Sony Alpha A7S
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Battery Life
870 shots vs 360 shots 510 more frames with a single charge
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus E-5
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fully Articulated Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus E-5
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-5 has external dimensions of 143 x 117 x 75 mm (5.63 x 4.61 x 2.95″) and weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 16mm narrower, 23mm shorter and 27mm thinner than Olympus E-5.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5.
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is significantly lighter (311g ) than the Olympus E-5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Olympus E-5 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-5's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
E-5
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
E-5
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and E-5 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Olympus E-5's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Sony A7S features a Tilting only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Olympus E-5 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5: Sensor Comparison

Both Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Sony A7S's sensor is Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) and Olympus E-5's sensor is Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ).

Since Sony A7S's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Olympus E-5.

Below you can see the A7S and E-5 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-5. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 31 points higher than E-5.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Olympus E-5 56 21.6 bits 10.5 Evs 519 ISO
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A7S has an advantage over Olympus E-5. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 45 lenses for Olympus E-5's Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-5 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Sony A7S doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Olympus E-5 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 8
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 4
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 4
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 9
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 6
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 4
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 3
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 4
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 45

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-5 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-5 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-5 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
11 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 870 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-5 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
800g
Body Thickness 75mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-5 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-5: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Olympus E-5, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Olympus E-5 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #42 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #220 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus E-5 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Olympus E-5
Olympus E-5
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Olympus E-5
Brand Sony Olympus
Announced 2014-04-06 2011-02-03
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Four Thirds
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 855.62mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 25 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 128 45
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x 0.58x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 18.00 m (at ISO 200)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 800g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 143 x 117 x 75mm
Battery Life 360 shots 870 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 56
DxO Color Depth 23.9 21.6
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 10.5
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 519
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