Clicky

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5

Portability
50
Imaging
64
Features
84
Overall
72
Nikon D4s front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Key Specs

Nikon D4s
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 409600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 1350g - 160 x 157 x 91mm
  • Launched February 2014
  • Succeeded the Nikon D4
  • Refreshed by Nikon D5
Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Overview

In this article, we are matching up the Nikon D4s versus Olympus E-M5, one is a Pro DSLR and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Nikon and Olympus. The image resolution of the D4s (16MP) and the E-M5 (16MP) is very close but the D4s (Full frame) and E-M5 (Four Thirds) use totally different sensor sizes.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The D4s was launched 23 months after the E-M5 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Nikon D4s being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the D4s scores against the E-M5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Nikon D4s over the Olympus E-M5

 D4s E-M5 
AnnouncedFebruary 2014April 2012More modern by 23 months
Display sizing3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution921k610kCrisper display (+311k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Nikon D4s

 E-M5 D4s 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Nikon D4s and Olympus E-M5

 D4s E-M5 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Nikon D4s has got outer measurements of 160mm x 157mm x 91mm (6.3" x 6.2" x 3.6") having a weight of 1350 grams (2.98 lbs) while the Olympus E-M5 has proportions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs).

Check the Nikon D4s versus Olympus E-M5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the D4s versus the E-M5.

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the D4s and E-M5 is 50 and 81 respectively.

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by researching technical specs. The picture underneath will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the D4s and E-M5.

As you can tell, each of these cameras offer the same exact MP but not the same sensor sizes. The D4s comes with the larger sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field simpler. The newer D4s is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 sensor size comparison

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D4s Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography factors
78
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D4s
Street photography with Olympus E-M5
58
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
82
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has focus by touch
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon D4s
Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
75
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
good battery life (3,020 per charge)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
lacks phase detect autofocus
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Nikon D4s Travel photography info
Olympus E-M5 Travel photography info
62
good battery life (3,020 shots)
weather proof
resolution is good (16MP)
does not offer selfie friendly display
66
weather sealing
has focus by touch
good megapixels (16MP)
no Timelapse mode
does not have selfie friendly display
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Nikon D4s Landscape photography information
Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography information
76
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
good battery life (3,020 CIPA)
two card slots
does not have image stabilization
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
no Timelapse mode
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D4s as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M5 as a Vlogging camera
28
supports face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic socket
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
34
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
no microphone jack
Cutting-edge AI developed by Apple deciphers subtle nuances in pixels

Nikon D4s vs Olympus E-M5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D4s and Olympus E-M5
 Nikon D4sOlympus OM-D E-M5
General Information
Brand Nikon Olympus
Model type Nikon D4s Olympus OM-D E-M5
Class Pro DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2014-02-24 2012-04-30
Body design Large SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 4 TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 36 x 23.9mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 860.4mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 5:4 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4928 x 3280 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Max enhanced ISO 409600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 51 35
Cross type focus points 15 -
Lens
Lens mount type Nikon F Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 309 107
Crop factor 1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3.2 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 921 thousand dot 610 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT LCD with brightness and color adjustment Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.58x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 11.0 frames per second 9.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto FP high-speed sync, front-curtain, rear-curtain, redeye reduction, redeye reduction w/slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Optional Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1350 gr (2.98 pounds) 425 gr (0.94 pounds)
Dimensions 160 x 157 x 91mm (6.3" x 6.2" x 3.6") 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 89 71
DXO Color Depth rating 24.4 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.3 12.3
DXO Low light rating 3074 826
Other
Battery life 3020 shots 360 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL18a BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2-20 seconds, 1-9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 seconds) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage CompactFlash, XQD SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Dual Single
Retail price $6,498 $799