Clicky

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus SP-800 UZ front
Portability
69
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • Launched October 2013
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus SP-800 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 3200 (Expand to 1000)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-840mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 455g - 110 x 90 x 91mm
  • Revealed February 2010
  • New Model is Olympus SP-810 UZ
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are produced by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the SP-800 UZ (14MP) is relatively well matched but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-M1 was brought out 3 years later than the SP-800 UZ and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-M1 scores against the SP-800 UZ when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus SP-800 UZ

 E-M1 SP-800 UZ 
RevealedOctober 2013February 2010More recent by 46 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-800 UZ over the Olympus E-M1

 SP-800 UZ E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SP-800 UZ

 E-M1 SP-800 UZ 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys exterior dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Olympus SP-800 UZ has proportions of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") along with a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 compared to the SP-800 UZ.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and SP-800 UZ is 71 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements just by checking a spec sheet. The visual underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and SP-800 UZ.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 will give you extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography info
Olympus SP-800 UZ Portrait photography info
71
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/320s)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
28
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Street photography camera
78
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
environment proofing
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
46
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
Sports photography with Olympus SP-800 UZ
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
not so great battery power (350 shots)
47
long zoom range (28-840mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Olympus SP-800 UZ
65
lighter than competitors (497g)
environment proofing
provides touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
not so great battery power (350 CIPA)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
61
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
long reach (840mm)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Landscape photography camera
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
not so great battery power (350 shots)
41
relatively wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging info
Olympus SP-800 UZ Vlogging info
36
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external mic socket
lighter than competitors (497g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
24
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic socket
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SP-800 UZ
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus SP-800 UZ
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus SP-800 UZ
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2013-10-28 2010-02-02
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII TruePic III
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Max boosted ISO - 1000
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 81 143
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-840mm (30.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.6
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 12 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.10 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 455g (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 110 x 90 x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6")
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 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 Li-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (12 or 2 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $799 $270