Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A580

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony A580, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 III was launched 8 years later than the A580 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-M1 III grades versus the A580 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 III features external measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) while the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony A580 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the A580.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 III and A580 is 67 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements only by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and A580.

As you can see, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus E-M1 III will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The newer E-M1 III is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.