Clicky

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580

Portability
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
Portability
64 Imaging
55 Features
82 Overall
65

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 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
  • Released October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A100
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 Overview

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A580, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the A580 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-M1 was unveiled 2 years after the A580 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-M1 matches up against the A580 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month 

        

          

            
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A580

          

          

            
 E-M1 A580 
RevealedOctober 2013May 2011More modern by 30 months
Display resolution1037k922kSharper display (+115k dot)
Touch friendly display  Easily navigate
          

        


        

          

            
Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Olympus E-M1

          

          

            
 A580 E-M1 
          

        


        

          

            
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A580

          

          

            
 E-M1 A580 
Focus manually  Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen  Neither offers selfie screen
          

        

        

	
	
	
	

        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison

          

          

            
For anybody who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 offers outside dimensions 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 A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A580 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M1 against the A580.
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 size comparison
Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and A580 is 71 and 64 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 top view buttons comparison          

        


        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison

          

          

            
Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes just by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and A580.
As you can see, both of those cameras feature the identical MP but not the same sensor sizes. The E-M1 contains the smaller sensor which will make obtaining shallower depth of field more difficult. The more modern E-M1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

            Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 sensor size comparison
          

        


        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder

          

          

                      

          Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison        


                Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone        

	
	
	
	

        

          
Photography Type Scores

          

        

        
Portrait Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A580 Portrait photography highlights
71
 focusing manually
 high flash sync (1/320 seconds)
 MP count good (16MP)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 features face detect autofocus
 delivers RAW formats
73
 you can focus manually
 decent MP (16MP)
 nice sensor size (APS-C)
 has face detection focus
 saves RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
Street Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Street photography information
Sony A580 Street photography information
77
 tilting screen
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 delivers RAW formats
 supports focus by touch
 environment sealing
 lighter than competitors in class (497g)
 good high ISO (25,600)
75
 screen tilts up and down
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 nice sensor size (APS-C)
 saves RAW files
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
Sports Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Sports photography information
Sony A580 Sports photography information
69
 great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 MP count good (16MP)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 features tracking focus
 environment sealing
 supports phase detect autofocus
 bad battery life (350 per charge)
77
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 decent MP (16 megapixels)
 nice sensor size (APS-C)
 has tracking autofocus
 great battery (1,050 per charge)
 sensor has phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary
Travel Comparison
Olympus E-M1 Travel photography info
Sony A580 Travel photography info
65
 lighter than competitors in class (497 grams)
 environment sealing
 supports focus by touch
 MP count good (16 megapixels)
 bad battery life (350 CIPA)
 display is not selfie friendly
60
 great battery (1,050 shots)
 decent MP (16MP)
 has built in flash
 missing Timelapse function
 doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
Landscape Comparison
 Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
 Sony A580 as a Landscape photography camera
72
 focusing manually
 switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
 pretty good screen size (3 inches)
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 MP count good (16 megapixels)
 good sensor size (Four Thirds)
 good high ISO (25,600)
 delivers RAW formats
 environment sealing
 bad battery life (350 per charge)
73
 you can focus manually
 swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
 screen is a decent size (3 inch)
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 decent MP (16MP)
 nice sensor size (APS-C)
 saves RAW files
 great battery (1,050 CIPA)
 2 card slots
 missing Timelapse function
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images
Vlogging Comparison
 Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
 Sony A580 as a Vlogging camera
36
 built-in touchscreen
 has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
 features face detect autofocus
 video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
 comes with microphone jack
 lighter than competitors in class (497 grams)
 display is not selfie friendly
34
 has image stabilization (Sensor based)
 has face detection focus
 great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
 includes external microphone support
 doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms
        
                
        

          

            
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A580 Specifications

          

          

                      


          

            Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A580
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2013-10-28 2011-05-26
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter    
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and  16:9 3:2 and  16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures    
Autofocusing
Focus manually    
Touch focus    
Continuous autofocus    
Single autofocus    
Autofocus tracking    
Autofocus selectice    
Autofocus center weighted    
Autofocus multi area    
Live view autofocus    
Face detection autofocus    
Contract detection autofocus    
Phase detection autofocus    
Number of focus points 81 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch screen    
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manual mode    
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance    
Image stabilization    
Built-in flash    
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings 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, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash    
AE bracketing    
White balance bracketing    
Maximum flash synchronize 1/320 seconds 1/160 seconds
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support    
Headphone support    
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth    
NFC    
HDMI    
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing    
Water proof    
Dust proof    
Shock proof    
Crush proof    
Freeze proof    
Weight 497 grams (1.10 lbs) 599 grams (1.32 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 80
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 13.3
DXO Low light score 757 1121
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 1050 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature    
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One Two
Price at launch $799 $848