Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A7
Portability
67 Imaging
61 Features
96 Overall
75
67 Imaging
61 Features
96 Overall
75
Portability
78 Imaging
70 Features
80 Overall
74
78 Imaging
70 Features
80 Overall
74
Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A7 Key Specs
Olympus E-M1 III
(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 Maximum Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
- Introduced February 2020
- Older Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A7
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 50 - 25600
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
- Revealed January 2014
- Replacement is Sony A7 II
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Following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony A7, both Pro Mirrorless cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 III (20MP) and the A7 (24MP) is fairly close but the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and A7 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor sizes.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe E-M1 III was revealed 6 years after the A7 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-M1 III scores against the A7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Sony Alpha A7. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Sony A7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Sony A7
| E-M1 III | A7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | February 2020 |  | January 2014 | More modern by 74 months |
| Display type | Fully Articulated |  | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
| Selfie screen |  | Take selfies | ||
| Touch friendly display |  | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Olympus E-M1 III
| A7 | E-M1 III | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display resolution | 1230k |  | 1037k | Sharper display (+193k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony A7
| E-M1 III | A7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus |  | More accurate focus | ||
| Display size | 3" |  | 3" | Same display dimensions |
Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison
In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 III has got exterior dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 has dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") along with a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony A7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the A7.
Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and A7 is 67 and 78 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it's difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes just by looking through a spec sheet. The pic below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and A7.
As you can see, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 III having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A7 will result in more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 III is going to have an edge in sensor technology.
Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder
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Portrait Comparison
Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography features
Sony A7 Portrait photography features
has manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW files
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Street photography with Sony A7
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus by touch
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
has a tilting screen
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
lighter than competitors in class (474g)
good ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-M1 III as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7 as a Sports photography camera
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
comes with phase detect AF
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
environment sealing
comes with phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low battery (340 CIPA)
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Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography information
Sony A7 Travel photography information
weather proof
has bluetooth
provides focus by touch
decent MP (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
lighter than competitors in class (474 grams)
environment sealing
megapixel count good (24MP)
low battery (340 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banLandscape Comparison
Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography information
Sony A7 Landscape photography information
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
has double storage slots
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
no image stabilization
low battery (340 shots)
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Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging factors
Sony A7 Vlogging factors
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have mic port
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic jack
lighter than competitors in class (474g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
Photography Glossary
Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A7 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III | Sony Alpha A7 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III | Sony Alpha A7 |
| Category | Pro Mirrorless | Pro Mirrorless |
| Introduced | 2020-02-11 | 2014-01-22 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic IX | Bionz X |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | Full frame |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.4 x 13mm | 35.8 x 23.9mm |
| Sensor area | 226.2mm² | 855.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 20MP | 24MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Highest native ISO | 25600 | 25600 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 50 |
| RAW format | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 64 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 121 | 117 |
| Cross type focus points | 121 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
| Total lenses | 107 | 121 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
| Display size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Resolution of display | 1,037k dot | 1,230k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Display technology | - | Xtra Fine LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dot | 2,359k dot |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.71x |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Maximum quiet shutter speed | 1/32000 secs | - |
| Continuous shooting speed | 60.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash options | Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual | no built-in flash |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/250 secs |
| 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 PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
| Highest video resolution | 4096x2160 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 580g (1.28 pounds) | 474g (1.04 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | not tested | 90 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 24.8 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 14.2 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 2248 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 420 pictures | 340 pictures |
| Form 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; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) |
| Time lapse shooting | With downloadable app | |
| Storage media | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | Two | Single |
| Pricing at launch | $1,800 | $798 |