Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony A6500

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony A6500, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M1 III (20MP) and the A6500 (24MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 III was introduced 3 years later than the A6500 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-M1 III grades versus the A6500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and Sony Alpha a6500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery and Sony A6500 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 III enjoys outside 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 A6500 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony A6500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M1 III against the A6500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 III and A6500 is 67 and 81 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The graphic here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and A6500.

All in all, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A6500 will resolve more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 III is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.