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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 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
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 III
Sony H55
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 103 x 58 x 29mm
  • Released June 2010
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 Overview

Below is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony H55, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and H55 (14MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and H55 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 II was announced 6 years later than the H55 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H55 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-M1 II grades against the H55 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony H55

 E-M1 II H55 
ReleasedSeptember 2016June 2010More recent by 77 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony H55 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 H55 E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony H55

 E-M1 II H55 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 II has 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) while the Sony H55 has sizing of 103mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony H55 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M1 II against the H55.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and H55 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements merely by researching technical specs. The visual here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and H55.

As you have seen, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-M1 II will provide you with greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The younger E-M1 II should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony H55 as a Portrait photography camera
75
manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
exports RAW formats
28
MP count good (14MP)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Street photography features
Sony H55 Street photography features
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes focus by touch
environment proofing
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography details
Sony H55 Sports photography details
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (60.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect auto focus
low battery power (350 per charge)
38
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography advice
Sony H55 Travel photography advice
72
lighter than competition in class (574g)
environment proofing
includes focus by touch
good MP (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
low battery power (350 shots)
67
MP count good (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Time Lapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Landscape photography camera
Sony H55 as a Landscape photography camera
76
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
low battery power (350 shots)
42
quite wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1 II
Vlogging with Sony H55
79
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
has mic port
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
28
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic socket
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony H55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony H55
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2016-09-19 2010-06-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 60.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.10 m (at ISO 100) 3.80 m
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Slow Syncro, Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
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 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic 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 lbs) 200g (0.44 lbs)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 103 x 58 x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLH-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 2 One
Retail pricing $1,700 $235