Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A500

Here is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony A500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and A500 (12MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 III was released 10 years later than the A500 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a short view of how the E-M1 III scores against the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 III has external measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 III versus the A500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and A500 is 67 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing merely by looking at specs. The photograph below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 III and A500.

All in all, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-M1 III will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 III provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.