Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500

Here is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A500 (12MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 II was manufactured 7 years later than the A500 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-M1 II scores vs the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 II has got outer measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") having a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 II vs the A500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and A500 is 68 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing just by checking technical specs. The visual here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 II and A500.

As you can tell, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 II because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-M1 II will give you more detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos more aggressively. The newer E-M1 II is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.