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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 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 Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Revealed October 2013
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A99
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A99 II, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A99 II (Full frame) boast different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was launched 3 years before the A99 II which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1 grades against the A99 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A99 II

 E-M1 A99 II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus E-M1

 A99 II E-M1 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016October 2013More modern by 35 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k1037kCrisper screen (+192k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A99 II

 E-M1 A99 II 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 has exterior measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 II has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A99 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-M1 vs the A99 II.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and A99 II is 71 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through specs. The picture here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and A99 II.

All in all, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A99 II will give greater detail utilizing its extra 26MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-M1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A99 II Portrait photography highlights
71
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/320s)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
86
focusing manually
sensor resolution is high (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography factors
Sony A99 II Street photography factors
78
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
environment proof
lighter than competition (497 grams)
above average ISO range (25,600)
76
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
Sony A99 II Sports photography info
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect AF
bad battery power (350 shots)
82
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is high (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
bad battery pack (490 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography info
Sony A99 II Travel photography info
65
lighter than competition (497g)
environment proof
boasts focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
bad battery power (350 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
sensor resolution is high (42MP)
selfie friendly display
bad battery pack (490 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
bad battery power (350 per charge)
82
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is high (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment proofing
two card slots
bad battery pack (490 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Sony A99 II
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external microphone socket
lighter than competition (497g)
screen is not selfie friendly
78
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes microphone socket
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A99 II
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha A99 II
Category Pro Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2013-10-28 2016-09-19
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePIC VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 7952 x 5304
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 399
Cross focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 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 Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/320 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 gr (1.10 pounds) 849 gr (1.87 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 92
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 13.4
DXO Low light score 757 2317
Other
Battery life 350 images 490 images
Battery type Battery Pack NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Card slots One Two
Launch pricing $799 $3,198