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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony SLT-A65 front
Portability
64
Imaging
63
Features
85
Overall
71

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Revealed October 2013
  • New Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A65
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 622g - 132 x 97 x 81mm
  • Introduced November 2011
  • Successor is Sony A68
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 Overview

In this article, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A65, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and A65 (24MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A65 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was launched 24 months after the A65 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A65 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-M1 matches up vs the A65 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A65

 E-M1 A65 
IntroducedOctober 2013November 2011Newer by 24 months
Display resolution1037k921kCrisper display (+116k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A65 over the Olympus E-M1

 A65 E-M1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A65

 E-M1 A65 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 has physical measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Sony A65 has dimensions of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony A65 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 against the A65.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and A65 is 71 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 Sensor Comparison

Often, its hard to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and A65.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A65 will provide more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images far more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography info
Sony A65 Portrait photography info
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync (1/320s)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
77
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Sony A65 as a Street photography camera
78
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus via touch
weather proofing
lighter than competition (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
77
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
Sony A65 Sports photography info
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
bad battery power (350 shots)
81
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Sony A65
65
lighter than competition (497 grams)
weather proofing
offers focus via touch
MP count good (16MP)
bad battery power (350 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
68
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography information
Sony A65 Landscape photography information
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
bad battery power (350 CIPA)
75
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Sony A65
36
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic socket
lighter than competition (497g)
display isn't selfie friendly
78
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external mic jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A65 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A65
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony SLT-A65
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony SLT-A65
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2013-10-28 2011-11-15
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
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
Number of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 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, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/320 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 grams (1.10 lbs) 622 grams (1.37 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 132 x 97 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 74
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 12.6
DXO Low light score 757 717
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 560 photographs
Style of battery 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
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $799 $700