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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III front
Portability
53
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Launched October 2013
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony RX10 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1051g - 133 x 94 x 127mm
  • Announced March 2016
  • Succeeded the Sony RX10 II
  • Newer Model is Sony RX10 IV
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III Overview

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX10 III, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the RX10 III (20MP) is very comparable but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and RX10 III (1") provide totally different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was manufactured 3 years prior to the RX10 III which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-M1 grades against the RX10 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony RX10 III

 E-M1 RX10 III 
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 III over the Olympus E-M1

 RX10 III E-M1 
AnnouncedMarch 2016October 2013More modern by 29 months
Display resolution1229k1037kClearer display (+192k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX10 III

 E-M1 RX10 III 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display size
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 features outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony RX10 III has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") and a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX10 III in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 and the RX10 III.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and RX10 III is 71 and 53 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The picture below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and RX10 III.

As you have seen, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony RX10 III will produce extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-M1 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography information
Sony RX10 III Portrait photography information
71
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography info
Sony RX10 III Street photography info
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
has touch to focus
weather sealing
lighter than competition (497g)
good ISO range (25,600)
64
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW files
weather proof
heavier than competitors in class (1,051g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Sports photography camera
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has phase detect autofocus
low battery (350 CIPA)
70
incredible zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
great battery power (420 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition (497g)
weather sealing
has touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
low battery (350 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
55
great battery power (420 CIPA)
weather proof
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors in class (1,051 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography features
Sony RX10 III Landscape photography features
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
low battery (350 per charge)
63
manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW files
weather proof
great battery power (420 shots)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.4)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX10 III as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic jack
lighter than competition (497 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
28
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external mic jack
slow maximum aperture (f2.4)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
heavier than competitors in class (1,051 grams)
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX10 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX10 III
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Class Pro Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2013-10-28 2016-03-29
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-600mm (25.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.4-4.0
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 14.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
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, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 1051g (2.32 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 133 x 94 x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 70
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.1
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 12.6
DXO Low light score 757 472
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 420 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $799 $1,398