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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus SH-50 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Launched January 2013
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SH-50, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the SH-50 (16MP) is pretty close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and SH-50 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was released 10 months later than the SH-50 and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1 matches up vs the SH-50 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus SH-50

 E-M1 SH-50 
LaunchedOctober 2013January 2013More recent by 10 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Olympus E-M1

 SH-50 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SH-50

 E-M1 SH-50 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 features external measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Olympus SH-50 has specifications of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SH-50 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 and the SH-50.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and SH-50 is 71 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to see the difference in sensor measurements purely by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and SH-50.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same MP albeit not the same sensor measurements. The E-M1 has got the bigger sensor which will make getting shallow depth of field easier. The more modern E-M1 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography advice
Olympus SH-50 Portrait photography advice
71
you can focus manually
flash sync speed is above average (1/320s)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW files
44
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography highlights
Olympus SH-50 Street photography highlights
78
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
boasts touch to focus
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (497g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
64
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has touch to focus
lighter than others in class (269g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography information
Olympus SH-50 Sports photography information
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
48
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SH-50 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
weather proof
boasts touch to focus
good megapixels (16MP)
not so great battery (350 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than others in class (269 grams)
has touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography highlights
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
49
manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Olympus SH-50
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic socket
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
34
pretty wide (25mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (269 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SH-50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SH-50
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus SH-50
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus SH-50
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-10-28 2013-01-08
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 15s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per second 12.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m
Flash settings Flash Auto, 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, Fill-in, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 269g (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Launch price $799 $300