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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV 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
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Launched July 2019
  • Succeeded the Sony A7R III
  • Later Model is Sony A7R V
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV, both Pro Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A7R IV (Full frame) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was launched 6 years earlier than the A7R IV which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-M1 scores vs the A7R IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A7R IV

 E-M1 A7R IV 

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Olympus E-M1

 A7R IV E-M1 
LaunchedJuly 2019October 2013More modern by 69 months
Screen resolution1440k1037kSharper screen (+403k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A7R IV

 E-M1 A7R IV 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera often, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 has got outer measurements 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 Sony A7R IV has proportions of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") and a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-M1 against the A7R IV.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and A7R IV is 71 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes only by viewing specifications. The pic here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and A7R IV.

To sum up, the 2 cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 due to its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A7R IV will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 45 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged E-M1 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography features
Sony A7R IV Portrait photography features
71
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
88
focusing manually
excellent megapixels (61 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Sony A7R IV Street photography advice
78
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers touch focus
weather proof
lighter than competitors (497g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
offers touch focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography factors
Sony A7R IV Sports photography factors
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery life (350 per charge)
90
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent megapixels (61MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery life (670 shots)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography info
Sony A7R IV Travel photography info
65
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
weather proof
offers touch focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
terrible battery life (350 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
74
better than average battery life (670 shots)
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
offers touch focus
excellent megapixels (61 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Landscape photography camera
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
88
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent megapixels (61 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
good high ISO (32,000)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
better than average battery life (670 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Sony A7R IV
36
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone socket
lighter than competitors (497g)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
37
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes external microphone jack
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A7R IV
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Category Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2013-10-28 2019-07-16
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 61 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 9504 x 6336
Max native ISO 25600 32000
Max enhanced ISO - 102800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
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 81 567
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 5,760k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/320s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 gr (1.10 lb) 665 gr (1.47 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 99
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 14.8
DXO Low light rating 757 3344
Other
Battery life 350 shots 670 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots Single 2
Cost at release $799 $3,498