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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III

Portability
68
Imaging
60
Features
93
Overall
73
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M1
  • New Model is Olympus E-M1 III
Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Revealed October 2019
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Later Model is OM System OM-5
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Overview

Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus E-M5 III, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-M1 II (20MP) and the E-M5 III (20MP) is relatively comparable and both cameras have the same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-M1 II was unveiled 4 years earlier than the E-M5 III and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-M1 II scores versus the E-M5 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Olympus E-M5 III

 E-M1 II E-M5 III 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Olympus E-M1 II

 E-M5 III E-M1 II 
RevealedOctober 2019September 2016More recent by 37 months
Screen resolution1040k1037kCrisper screen (+3k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus E-M5 III

 E-M1 II E-M5 III 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 II has external dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") along with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 III has dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus E-M5 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M1 II and the E-M5 III.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and E-M5 III is 68 and 80 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The photograph here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and E-M5 III.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the identical megapixels and you can expect comparable quality of images although you will want to take the launch date of the cameras into account. The older E-M1 II will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography factors
Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography factors
76
focusing manually
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
77
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
78
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (574g)
great ISO range (25,600)
83
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers focus via touch
environment proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-M5 III as a Sports photography camera
75
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (60.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
bad battery (350 CIPA)
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery (310 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 III
72
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
weather proof
features focus by touch
MP count good (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
bad battery (350 per charge)
77
environment proofing
has bluetooth
offers focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery (310 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
76
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
2 card slots
bad battery (350 per charge)
77
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
terrible battery (310 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M5 III as a Vlogging camera
79
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
lighter than competition in class (574g)
84
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus E-M5 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus E-M5 III
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIOlympus OM-D E-M5 III
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Olympus OM-D E-M5 III
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2016-09-19 2019-10-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII TruePic VIII
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW photos
Lowest boosted ISO 64 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 121
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.68x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000s 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 60.0fps 30.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.10 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 4096x2160 4096x2160
Video format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 574 grams (1.27 lb) 414 grams (0.91 lb)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.8 not tested
DXO Low light score 1312 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 310 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots Dual One
Cost at launch $1,700 $1,199