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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7S III front
Portability
61
Imaging
65
Features
92
Overall
75

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III 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
  • Revealed October 2013
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A7S III
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 102400 (Increase to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 699g - 129 x 97 x 81mm
  • Announced July 2020
  • Older Model is Sony A7S II
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III Overview

Here is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A7S III, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and A7S III (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A7S III (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was manufactured 7 years before the A7S III and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-M1 matches up against the A7S III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 E-M1 A7S III 

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

 A7S III E-M1 
AnnouncedJuly 2020October 2013Fresher by 81 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1440k1037kCrisper screen (+403k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

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

 E-M1 A7S III 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 has got outside 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 Sony A7S III has specifications of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A7S III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 vs the A7S III.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and A7S III is 71 and 61 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by looking at specifications. The visual here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and A7S III.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will give extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-M1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography advice
Sony A7S III Portrait photography advice
71
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/320s)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
71
focusing manually
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Sony A7S III Street photography advice
78
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts focus by touch
weather sealing
lighter than competition (497 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
environment proofing
good ISO range (102,400)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7S III as a Sports photography camera
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)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (350 per charge)
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proofing
good battery (600 shots)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7S III as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition (497 grams)
weather sealing
boasts focus by touch
MP count good (16MP)
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
70
good battery (600 per charge)
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
selfie friendly display
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography info
Sony A7S III Landscape photography info
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
terrible battery pack (350 per charge)
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
good ISO range (102,400)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
good battery (600 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging info
Sony A7S III Vlogging info
36
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone port
lighter than competition (497g)
does not have selfie friendly display
77
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A7S III
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha A7S III
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha A7S III
Class Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2013-10-28 2020-07-21
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Bionz XR
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor 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
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4240 x 2832
Highest native ISO 25600 102400
Highest boosted ISO - 409600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 759
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 9,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.91x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated 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
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/320s -
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 120p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 100p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264, H.265
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497g (1.10 lbs) 699g (1.54 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2")
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 pictures 600 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots
Storage slots One Two
Retail cost $799 $3,499