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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus VH-515 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 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 Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Released October 2013
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Introduced August 2012
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 Overview

The following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both created by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and VH-515 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was announced 15 months after the VH-515 which makes them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-M1 matches up vs the VH-515 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus VH-515

 E-M1 VH-515 
IntroducedOctober 2013August 2012Newer by 15 months
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kClearer screen (+577k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Olympus E-M1

 VH-515 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus VH-515

 E-M1 VH-515 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Olympus VH-515 has proportions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") and a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 compared to the VH-515.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and VH-515 is 71 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The picture below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and VH-515.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M1 will give extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography factors
Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography factors
71
manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
27
includes face detect focus
no manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography information
Olympus VH-515 Street photography information
78
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features focus via touch
weather sealing
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
great high ISO (25,600)
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts focus by touch
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography advice
Olympus VH-515 Sports photography advice
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
not so great battery pack (350 CIPA)
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography details
Olympus VH-515 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competitors (497g)
weather sealing
features focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16MP)
not so great battery pack (350 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
62
boasts focus by touch
flash built-in
quite wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography features
Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography features
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
not so great battery pack (350 shots)
37
quite wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus VH-515 as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
35
quite wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus VH-515 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus VH-515
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus VH-515
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus VH-515
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2013-10-28 2012-08-21
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePIC VII TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.70 m
Flash options 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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/320 secs -
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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 152g (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $799 $648