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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II 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
  • Released September 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M1
  • New Model is Olympus E-M1 III
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Older Model is Sony A99
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II Overview

Here, we will be looking at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A99 II, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A99 II (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 II was introduced very close to the A99 II so they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M1 II scores versus the A99 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A99 II

 E-M1 II A99 II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus E-M1 II

 A99 II E-M1 II 
Screen resolution1229k1037kSharper screen (+192k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A99 II

 E-M1 II A99 II 
LaunchedSeptember 2016September 2016Similar generation
Manual focus More precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFully articulatedFully Articulated screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 II comes with external dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 II has dimensions of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A99 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 II compared to the A99 II.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 II and A99 II is 68 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 II and A99 II.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 II having a tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A99 II will deliver extra detail using its extra 22 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Portrait photography camera
75
manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW formats
86
focusing manually
excellent MP (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Street photography highlights
Sony A99 II Street photography highlights
78
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch focus
weather sealing
lighter than competition (574 grams)
good high ISO (25,600)
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography features
Sony A99 II Sports photography features
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max fps (60.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
82
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent MP (42 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect AF
low battery life (490 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography details
Sony A99 II Travel photography details
72
lighter than competition (574g)
weather sealing
includes touch focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
70
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
excellent MP (42 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
low battery life (490 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Landscape photography with Sony A99 II
76
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
82
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent MP (42 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
low battery life (490 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1 II
Vlogging with Sony A99 II
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
has mic jack
lighter than competition (574 grams)
78
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have mic jack
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A99 II
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony Alpha A99 II
Category Pro Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2016-09-19 2016-09-19
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor 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 area 226.2mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 42MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 7952 x 5304
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Max enhanced ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO 64 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 121 399
Cross type focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fully articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
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 silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 9.10 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash options Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 -
Max video resolution 4096x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 574 grams (1.27 lb) 849 grams (1.87 lb)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 80 92
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.8 13.4
DXO Low light rating 1312 2317
Other
Battery life 350 shots 490 shots
Battery format Battery Pack NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery ID BLH-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Storage slots Two Two
Launch cost $1,700 $3,198