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Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Raise to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Revealed January 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-300
  • Updated by Olympus E-330
Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 III
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Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-300 and Olympus E-M5 II, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both of them are sold by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and E-M5 II (16MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-300 was brought out 11 years prior to the E-M5 II which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-300 grades vs the E-M5 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 E-300 E-M5 II 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Olympus E-300

 E-M5 II E-300 
LaunchedFebruary 2015January 2005More modern by 122 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution1037k134kSharper screen (+903k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Olympus E-M5 II

 E-300 E-M5 II 
Manually focus More accurate focusing

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 provides external dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") having a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 II has dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-300 and Olympus E-M5 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-300 versus the E-M5 II.

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and E-M5 II is 67 and 80 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking specs. The picture underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and E-M5 II.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You can expect the Olympus E-M5 II to give you extra detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography factors
48
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography info
Olympus E-M5 II Street photography info
51
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
82
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather proofing
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography highlights
Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography highlights
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
not so great battery pack (310 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
45
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (8MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
74
weather proofing
supports touch to focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery pack (310 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography advice
Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography advice
43
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is small (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging advice
Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging advice
9
can't shoot video
82
selfie friendly display
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone socket
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Olympus E-300 vs Olympus E-M5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Olympus E-M5 II
 Olympus E-300Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-300 Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-300 -
Class Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2005-01-10 2015-02-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 81
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 134k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Max silent shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624 grams (1.38 lbs) 469 grams (1.03 lbs)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 896
Other
Battery life - 310 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $800 $699