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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Olympus VH-515 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M1
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M1 III
Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Revealed August 2012
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Olympus VH-515, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and VH-515 (12MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 II was manufactured 4 years later than the VH-515 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-M1 II scores versus the VH-515 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Olympus VH-515

 E-M1 II VH-515 
RevealedSeptember 2016August 2012More recent by 50 months
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 VH-515 E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus VH-515

 E-M1 II VH-515 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 II has physical measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") and a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Olympus VH-515 has sizing of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 II versus Olympus VH-515 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M1 II and the VH-515.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and VH-515 is 68 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading technical specs. The graphic below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 II and VH-515.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 II will offer you extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 II should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Portrait photography with Olympus VH-515
75
manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
27
provides face detect focusing
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Street photography with Olympus VH-515
78
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather proofing
lighter than competitors (574g)
great ISO range (25,600)
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has focus by touch
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography information
Olympus VH-515 Sports photography information
74
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
high max frames per second (60.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (350 per charge)
32
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking focus
low fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography advice
Olympus VH-515 Travel photography advice
72
lighter than competitors (574 grams)
weather proofing
offers touch to focus
megapixel count good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
low battery power (350 per charge)
62
has focus by touch
built-in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Landscape photography details
Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography details
76
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
2 card slots
low battery power (350 CIPA)
37
reasonably wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging features
Olympus VH-515 Vlogging features
79
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic support
lighter than competitors (574g)
35
reasonably wide (26mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Olympus VH-515 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Olympus VH-515
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIOlympus VH-515
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Olympus VH-515
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2016-09-19 2012-08-21
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 60.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 9.10 m (at ISO 100) 4.70 m
Flash settings Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
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) 152 grams (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8")
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 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLH-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Dual One
Launch pricing $1,700 $648