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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390

Portability
68
Imaging
60
Features
93
Overall
73
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
54
Overall
54

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 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
  • Released September 2016
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 III
Sony A390
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Introduced July 2010
  • Succeeded the Sony A380
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A390, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A390 (14MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A390 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 II was brought out 6 years later than the A390 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1 II grades vs the A390 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A390

 E-M1 II A390 
IntroducedSeptember 2016July 2010More recent by 75 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A390 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 A390 E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A390

 E-M1 II A390 
Manually focus More accurate focusing

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 II provides physical dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) while the Sony A390 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A390 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-M1 II versus the A390.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 II and A390 is 68 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and A390.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus E-M1 II will offer you more detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 II will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A390 as a Portrait photography camera
76
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
72
has manual focus
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Street photography factors
Sony A390 Street photography factors
78
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (574g)
good high ISO (25,600)
76
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Sports photography with Sony A390
75
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
max fps high (60.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
low battery power (350 per charge)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
terrible battery power (230 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Travel photography with Sony A390
72
lighter than competition in class (574g)
weather proof
comes with touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
low battery power (350 per charge)
53
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
terrible battery power (230 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A390 as a Landscape photography camera
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have low pass filter
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
has dual storage slots
low battery power (350 shots)
61
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
terrible battery power (230 per charge)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging details
Sony A390 Vlogging details
79
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
high video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external microphone jack
lighter than competition in class (574g)
9
no video
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A390 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A390
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony Alpha DSLR-A390
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony Alpha DSLR-A390
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2016-09-19 2010-07-28
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.49x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 60.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.10 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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 -
Max video resolution 4096x2160 None
Video file format MOV, H.264 -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 574 grams (1.27 lbs) 549 grams (1.21 lbs)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 80 66
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 12.8 11.5
DXO Low light score 1312 607
Other
Battery life 350 images 230 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Dual One
Cost at launch $1,700 $500