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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha A7R II front
Portability
68
Imaging
75
Features
84
Overall
78

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • 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
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M1
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 III
Sony A7R II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 625g - 127 x 96 x 60mm
  • Launched June 2015
  • Previous Model is Sony A7R
  • Newer Model is Sony A7R III
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A7R II, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A7R II (42MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A7R II (Full frame) have different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 II was released 16 months after the A7R II which makes them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before we go into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-M1 II matches up versus the A7R II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A7R II

 E-M1 II A7R II 
LaunchedSeptember 2016June 2015Newer by 16 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A7R II over the Olympus E-M1 II

 A7R II E-M1 II 
Screen resolution1229k1037kClearer screen (+192k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A7R II

 E-M1 II A7R II 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 II offers exterior measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R II has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") along with a weight of 625 grams (1.38 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A7R II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 II versus the A7R II.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 II and A7R II is 68 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The pic here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 II and A7R II.

To sum up, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 II featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A7R II will give you more detail as a result of its extra 22 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The newer E-M1 II should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography features
Sony A7R II Portrait photography features
75
focusing manually
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
85
focusing manually
great MP (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Street photography with Sony A7R II
78
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch focus
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
81
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography advice
Sony A7R II Sports photography advice
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (60.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great MP (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography details
Sony A7R II Travel photography details
72
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
weather proof
supports touch focus
good resolution (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (350 shots)
62
environment proofing
great MP (42MP)
terrible battery life (290 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Landscape photography with Sony A7R II
76
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
does not have anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
two card slots
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
82
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great MP (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7R II as a Vlogging camera
79
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone socket
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
37
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic port
does not have selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A7R II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A7R II
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony Alpha A7R II
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony Alpha A7R II
Type Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2016-09-19 2015-06-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 7974 x 5316
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 121 399
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 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 no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 3840x2160
Video format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 574g (1.27 pounds) 625g (1.38 pounds)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 127 x 96 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 80 98
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.8 13.9
DXO Low light rating 1312 3434
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 290 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLH-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two 1
Retail pricing $1,700 $2,913