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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 front
Portability
96
Imaging
45
Features
26
Overall
37

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 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
  • Announced October 2013
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony W830
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-6.3) lens
  • 122g - 93 x 52 x 23mm
  • Revealed January 2014
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the W830 (20MP) is very well matched but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and W830 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 was unveiled 2 months before the W830 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W830 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-M1 grades against the W830 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony W830

 E-M1 W830 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W830 over the Olympus E-M1

 W830 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony W830

 E-M1 W830 
RevealedOctober 2013January 2014Similar age
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 offers outside dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony W830 has sizing of 93mm x 52mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9") along with a weight of 122 grams (0.27 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 versus the W830.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and W830 is 71 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The pic below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and W830.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony W830 will give you greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography advice
Sony W830 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/320 seconds)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
38
good resolution (20MP)
features face detect autofocus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Sony W830 as a Street photography camera
78
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features touch focus
weather proof
lighter than others (497 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
59
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
Sony W830 Sports photography info
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (350 CIPA)
43
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
features tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W830 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than others (497 grams)
weather proof
features touch focus
decent MP (16MP)
bad battery life (350 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
67
good resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography advice
Sony W830 Landscape photography advice
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
bad battery life (350 shots)
41
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20MP)
no manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W830 as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic port
lighter than others (497 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
32
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony W830 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony W830
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830
Class Pro Mirrorless Ultracompact
Announced 2013-10-28 2014-01-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePIC VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 5152 x 3864
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 81 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-200mm (8.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-6.3
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 2 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 2.80 m (with ISO auto)
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Flash Off / Advanced Flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/320 seconds -
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 gr (1.10 lbs) 122 gr (0.27 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 93 x 52 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.0" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo, microSD/microSDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $799 $128