Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500
68 Imaging
59 Features
93 Overall
72


69 Imaging
63 Features
54 Overall
59
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 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 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
- Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
- Revealed March 2014
- Superseded the Sony A3000

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 Overview
Below is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony a3500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M1 II (20MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is pretty comparable but the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and a3500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

The E-M1 II was manufactured 2 years later than the a3500 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-M1 II matches up vs the a3500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Sony Alpha a3500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Sony a3500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony a3500
E-M1 II | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | September 2016 | ![]() | March 2014 | More recent by 31 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+807k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Olympus E-M1 II
a3500 | E-M1 II |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony a3500
E-M1 II | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen measurements |
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 II features outer dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") having a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) while the Sony a3500 has proportions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony a3500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 II and the a3500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 II and a3500 is 68 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it's difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The graphic here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and a3500.
All in all, both of the cameras provide the same resolution albeit not the same sensor measurements. The E-M1 II contains the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF more challenging. The newer E-M1 II will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony a3500 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha a3500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha a3500 |
Type | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2016-09-19 | 2014-03-21 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VIII | BIONZ image |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.4 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 226.2mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20 megapixel | 20 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 5456 x 3632 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 16000 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Minimum enhanced ISO | 64 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 121 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 1,037k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | - | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.47x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/4000s |
Fastest quiet shutter speed | 1/32000s | - |
Continuous shutter rate | 60.0 frames per second | 4.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 9.10 m (at ISO 100) | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
Flash settings | Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/250s | 1/160s |
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 | 1920 x 1080 |
Maximum video resolution | 4096x2160 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MOV, H.264 | AVCHD, 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 | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 574g (1.27 pounds) | 411g (0.91 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") | 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 80 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 23.7 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.8 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 1312 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 images | 470 images |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLH-1 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots | - |
Card slots | Two | Single |
Price at release | $1,700 | $398 |