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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 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
  • Launched October 2013
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A200
  • Updated by Sony A290
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A230, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A230 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was announced 4 years after the A230 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M1 scores against the A230 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A230

 E-M1 A230 
AnnouncedOctober 2013May 2009Newer by 55 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus E-M1

 A230 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A230

 E-M1 A230 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 has outer measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony A230 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A230 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M1 versus the A230.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and A230 is 71 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Often, its hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by researching specifications. The picture below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and A230.

Plainly, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will result in more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography info
Sony A230 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
high flash sync (1/320 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW files
54
focusing manually
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no liveview
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography info
Sony A230 Street photography info
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
has touch to focus
weather sealing
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A230 as a Sports photography camera
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
46
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
bad battery power (230 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography highlights
Sony A230 Travel photography highlights
65
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
weather sealing
has touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
terrible battery life (350 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
45
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (230 CIPA)
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography details
Sony A230 Landscape photography details
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
terrible battery life (350 shots)
51
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no liveview
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
bad battery power (230 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging information
Sony A230 Vlogging information
36
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A230
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2013-10-28 2009-05-18
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePIC VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 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, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 490g (1.08 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 63
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 22.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 11.4
DXO Low light rating 757 531
Other
Battery life 350 photos 230 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $799 $569