Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500
Portability
68 Imaging
59 Features
93 Overall
72
68 Imaging
59 Features
93 Overall
72
Portability
81 Imaging
67 Features
85 Overall
74
81 Imaging
67 Features
85 Overall
74
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500 Key Specs
Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
(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
- Launched September 2016
- Previous Model is Olympus E-M1
- Updated by Olympus E-M1 III
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600 (Bump to 51200)
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
- Launched October 2016
- Succeeded the Sony A6300
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On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A6500, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M1 II (20MP) and the A6500 (24MP) is pretty well matched but the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-M1 II was launched about the same time to the A6500 and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M1 II matches up vs the A6500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Photography Glossary Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Sony Alpha a6500. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery and Sony A6500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A6500
| E-M1 II | A6500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Fully Articulated |  | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
| Screen resolution | 1037k |  | 922k | Sharper screen (+115k dot) |
| Selfie screen |  | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus E-M1 II
| A6500 | E-M1 II |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A6500
| E-M1 II | A6500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | September 2016 |  | October 2016 | Similar generation |
| Manual focus |  | More exact focusing | ||
| Screen dimensions | 3" |  | 3" | Equal screen sizing |
| Touch friendly screen |  | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison
In case you're going to travel with your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 II features external measurements 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 A6500 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A6500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-M1 II vs the A6500.
Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and A6500 is 68 and 81 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it can be difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading through specs. The image here will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 II and A6500.
All in all, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 II featuring a tinier sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A6500 will give greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs more aggressively.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography information
Sony A6500 Portrait photography information
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Street photography with Sony A6500
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
weather proof
lighter than average (574g)
great ISO range (25,600)
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
features touch to focus
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography information
Sony A6500 Sports photography information
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (60.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (350 CIPA)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
bad battery (350 per charge)
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Travel photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Travel photography with Sony A6500
lighter than average (574g)
weather proof
boasts focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
low battery power (350 shots)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
features touch to focus
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
bad battery (350 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesLandscape Comparison
Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Landscape photography with Sony A6500
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
does not have low pass filter
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
2 card slots
low battery power (350 per charge)
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
bad battery (350 per charge)
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Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging details
Sony A6500 Vlogging details
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone support
lighter than average (574 grams)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focus
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A6500 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha a6500 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha a6500 |
| Class | Pro Mirrorless | Advanced Mirrorless |
| Launched | 2016-09-19 | 2016-10-06 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VIII | Bionz X |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.4 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 226.2mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 20 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 25600 |
| Maximum boosted ISO | - | 51200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW support | ||
| Minimum boosted ISO | 64 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 121 | 425 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Total lenses | 107 | 121 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
| Display sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Display resolution | 1,037k dot | 922k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dot | 2,359k dot |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.7x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/4000s |
| Maximum quiet shutter speed | 1/32000s | 1/32000s |
| Continuous shooting speed | 60.0fps | 11.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | 9.10 m (at ISO 100) | 6.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash settings | Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash sync | 1/250s | 1/160s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| 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 | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM |
| Maximum video resolution | 4096x2160 | 3840x2160 |
| Video format | MOV, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
| 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 lb) | 453 grams (1.00 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") | 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | 80 | 85 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 23.7 | 24.5 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 12.8 | 13.7 |
| DXO Low light score | 1312 | 1405 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 images | 350 images |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLH-1 | NP-FW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes |
| Time lapse feature | With downloadable app | |
| Storage media | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots | SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Storage slots | Dual | Single |
| Retail pricing | $1,700 | $1,298 |