Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500
68 Imaging
59 Features
93 Overall
72
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(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
- Released September 2016
- Old Model is Olympus E-M1
- Renewed by Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Released August 2009
- Later Model is Sony A560
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Overview
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.
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesThe 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.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Gallery
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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A500
E-M1 II | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | September 2016 | August 2009 | Fresher by 86 months | |
Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating display | |
Display resolution | 1037k | 230k | Clearer display (+807k dot) | |
Selfie screen | Take selfies | |||
Touch display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus E-M1 II
A500 | E-M1 II |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A500
E-M1 II | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | Dial accurate focusing | |||
Display dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal display measurements |
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
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.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
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.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A500 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
Class | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2016-09-19 | 2009-08-27 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic VIII | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.4 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 226.2mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 4272 x 2848 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 200 |
RAW photos | ||
Minimum boosted ISO | 64 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Number of focus points | 121 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 107 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 1,037k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Maximum quiet shutter speed | 1/32000 secs | - |
Continuous shooting speed | 60.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 9.10 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m |
Flash options | 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, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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 | - |
Highest video resolution | 4096x2160 | None |
Video data format | MOV, H.264 | - |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 gr (1.27 lbs) | 630 gr (1.39 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 80 | 64 |
DXO Color Depth score | 23.7 | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.8 | 11.6 |
DXO Low light score | 1312 | 772 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photos | 520 photos |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLH-1 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 2 | 1 |
Pricing at launch | $1,700 | $638 |