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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II

Portability
71 Imaging
53 Features
85 Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7S II front
Portability
68 Imaging
61 Features
76 Overall
67

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II 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
  • Revealed October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A7S II
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 102400 (Bump to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 627g - 127 x 96 x 60mm
  • Introduced October 2015
  • Superseded the Sony A7S
  • Replacement is Sony A7S III
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A7S II, both Pro Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and A7S II (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A7S II (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 was revealed 23 months earlier than the A7S II which makes them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras feature the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-M1 scores vs the A7S II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A7S II

		

		

			
 E-M1 A7S II 
Touch friendly screen  Quickly navigate
		

	

	
	

		

		
Reasons to pick Sony A7S II over the Olympus E-M1

		

		

			
 A7S II E-M1 
IntroducedOctober 2015October 2013Newer by 23 months
Screen resolution1229k1037kSharper screen (+192k dot)
		

	

	
	

		

		
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A7S II

		

		

			
 E-M1 A7S II 
Focus manually  More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen  Lacking selfie screen
		

	

	

	
	
	
	

	

		

		
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II Physical Comparison

		

		

			
For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony A7S II has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") and a weight of 627 grams (1.38 lbs).
See the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A7S II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-M1 and the A7S II.
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II size comparison
Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and A7S II is 71 and 68 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II top view buttons comparison		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II Sensor Comparison

		

		

			
Quite often, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor dimensions merely by researching a spec sheet. The picture underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and A7S II.
As you can see, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-M1 will result in extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-M1 will be behind in sensor technology.
	
			Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II sensor size comparison			
		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II Screen and ViewFinder

		

		

					

		Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II Screen and Viewfinder comparison	

	
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Photography Type Scores

		

	

	
Portrait Comparison
 Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
 Sony A7S II as a Portrait photography camera
71
 you can focus manually
 flash sync is higher than normal (1/320 seconds)
 MP count good (16 megapixels)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 provides face detection autofocus
 saves RAW files
68
 manual focus
 big sensor size (Full frame)
 supports face detection focus
 saves RAW formats
 sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Sony A7S II Street photography advice
78
 tilting screen
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 saves RAW files
 provides focus by touch
 environment sealing
 lighter than others (497 grams)
 very good ISO range (25,600)
78
 tilting screen
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 big sensor size (Full frame)
 saves RAW formats
 environment proof
 great ISO range (102,400)
Photography Glossary
Sports Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
Sony A7S II Sports photography info
70
 max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 MP count good (16MP)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 provides tracking autofocus
 environment sealing
 comes with phase detect autofocus
 not so great battery (350 shots)
58
 maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 big sensor size (Full frame)
 supports tracking autofocus
 environment proof
 max fps low (5.0 frames per second)
 sensor resolution not great (12MP)
 not so great battery (370 per charge)
 has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison
Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Sony A7S II
65
 lighter than others (497 grams)
 environment sealing
 provides focus by touch
 MP count good (16MP)
 not so great battery (350 per charge)
 display isn't selfie friendly
49
 environment proof
 not so great battery (370 per charge)
 sensor resolution not great (12MP)
 doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A7S II Landscape photography highlights
73
 you can focus manually
 interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
 screen size is good (3")
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 MP count good (16 megapixels)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 very good ISO range (25,600)
 saves RAW files
 environment sealing
 not so great battery (350 shots)
71
 manual focus
 change lenses (Sony E mount)
 screen is a decent size (3 inches)
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 big sensor size (Full frame)
 great ISO range (102,400)
 saves RAW formats
 environment proof
 sensor resolution not great (12MP)
 not so great battery (370 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Vlogging details
Sony A7S II Vlogging details
36
 screen is touchscreen
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 provides face detection autofocus
 high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
 does have external mic port
 lighter than others (497 grams)
 display isn't selfie friendly
35
 image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 supports face detection focus
 high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
 has external microphone support
 doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S II Specifications

		

		

					

		
		

			Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A7S II
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha A7S II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha A7S II
Type Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2013-10-28 2015-10-12
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter    
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and  16:9 3:2 and  16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4240 x 2832
Max native ISO 25600 102400
Max boosted ISO - 409600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data    
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
Touch to focus    
AF continuous    
AF single    
AF tracking    
AF selectice    
AF center weighted    
Multi area AF    
Live view AF    
Face detection focusing    
Contract detection focusing    
Phase detection focusing    
Total focus points 81 169
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch screen    
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Expose Manually    
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB    
Image stabilization    
Inbuilt flash    
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual no built-in flash
External flash    
AE bracketing    
WB bracketing    
Maximum flash synchronize 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure    
Average exposure    
Spot exposure    
Partial exposure    
AF area exposure    
Center weighted exposure    
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4K (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p [60-100Mbps]), Full HD (1920 x 1080 @ 120p/60p/60i/30p/24p [50-100Mbps]), 720p (30p [16Mbps])
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support    
Headphone support    
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
Environmental sealing    
Water proofing    
Dust proofing    
Shock proofing    
Crush proofing    
Freeze proofing    
Weight 497g (1.10 pounds) 627g (1.38 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 127 x 96 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 85
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 13.3
DXO Low light rating 757 2993
Other
Battery life 350 images 370 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature   With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $799 $2,767