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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
Portability
54
Imaging
66
Features
62
Overall
64

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Launched September 2016
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 III
Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched October 2008
  • Later Model is Sony A99
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 Overview

In this write-up, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A900, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M1 II (20MP) and the A900 (25MP) is fairly similar but the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A900 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor size.

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The E-M1 II was introduced 8 years after the A900 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-M1 II matches up against the A900 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A900

 E-M1 II A900 
LaunchedSeptember 2016October 2008More modern by 97 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k922kCrisper display (+115k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 A900 E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A900

 E-M1 II A900 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 II enjoys outer 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 A900 has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A900 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using during that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 II compared to the A900.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and A900 is 68 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes only by going over specifications. The pic underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 II and A900.

Plainly, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 II using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A900 will offer extra detail using its extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics a little more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 II provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography advice
Sony A900 Portrait photography advice
75
manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
71
manual focus
high megapixels (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Street photography details
Sony A900 Street photography details
78
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features focus via touch
environment sealing
lighter than others (574 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography information
Sony A900 Sports photography information
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (60.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery (350 CIPA)
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
high megapixels (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
slow fps (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography highlights
Sony A900 Travel photography highlights
72
lighter than others (574g)
environment sealing
features focus via touch
good MP (20MP)
selfie friendly display
bad battery (350 per charge)
54
environment proofing
high megapixels (25MP)
lack of Timelapse function
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Landscape photography details
Sony A900 Landscape photography details
76
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
no anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
bad battery (350 shots)
72
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
high megapixels (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
two card slots
doesn't have liveview
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1 II
Vlogging with Sony A900
79
selfie friendly display
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic port
lighter than others (574g)
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A900 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A900
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony Alpha DSLR-A900
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2016-09-19 2008-10-22
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 25MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 6048 x 4032
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter rate 60.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 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 Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250s 1/250s
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 -
Max video resolution 4096x2160 None
Video format MOV, H.264 -
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 574 gr (1.27 lb) 895 gr (1.97 lb)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 80 79
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.8 12.3
DXO Low light score 1312 1431
Other
Battery life 350 shots 880 shots
Battery type 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 feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Card slots Dual Dual
Retail cost $1,700 $2,736