Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
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69 Imaging
50 Features
40 Overall
46
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Key Specs
(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
(Full Review)
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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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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Sony A230 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A230
E-M1 | A230 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2013 | ![]() | May 2009 | Newer by 55 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+807k dot) |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus E-M1
A230 | E-M1 |
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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.
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.
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Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and A230 is 71 and 69 respectively.
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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.
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A230 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Sony 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 |