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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37

Portability
68
Imaging
59
Features
93
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M1
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 III
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched May 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony A35
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A37, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A37 (16MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A37 (APS-C) boast different sensor size.

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The E-M1 II was launched 4 years later than the A37 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-M1 II scores vs the A37 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A37

 E-M1 II A37 
LaunchedSeptember 2016May 2012Fresher by 53 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display size3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 A37 E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A37

 E-M1 II A37 
Focus manually More exact focusing

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 II has got physical dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") and a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A37 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 II versus the A37.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and A37 is 68 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through specifications. The graphic here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 II and A37.

To sum up, both of those cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 II featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Olympus E-M1 II will show extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 II provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Portrait photography features
Sony A37 Portrait photography features
75
manual focus
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
74
manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Street photography camera
Sony A37 as a Street photography camera
78
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus via touch
weather sealing
lighter than competitors in class (574 grams)
great high ISO (25,600)
77
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Sports photography advice
Sony A37 Sports photography advice
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (350 CIPA)
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
slow frames per second (6.0 fps)
not so great battery pack (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Travel photography camera
Sony A37 as a Travel photography camera
72
lighter than competitors in class (574 grams)
weather sealing
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
54
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
not so great battery pack (500 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Landscape photography highlights
Sony A37 Landscape photography highlights
76
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
no anti-alias filter
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
64
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.6 inches)
not so great battery pack (500 CIPA)
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Vlogging advice
Sony A37 Vlogging advice
79
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pixels)
does have microphone support
lighter than competitors in class (574 grams)
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A37
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IISony SLT-A37
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Sony SLT-A37
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2016-09-19 2012-05-16
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
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 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 121 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 2.6 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 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
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video format MOV, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 574 gr (1.27 lb) 506 gr (1.12 lb)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 80 75
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.8 12.9
DXO Low light rating 1312 799
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 500 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLH-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two 1
Cost at release $1,700 $522