Olympus E-M10 II vs Olympus SH-1

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M10 II and Olympus SH-1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-M10 II (16MP) and the SH-1 (16MP) is fairly close but the E-M10 II (Four Thirds) and SH-1 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M10 II was introduced 18 months later than the SH-1 making them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-M10 II grades vs the SH-1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M10 II and Olympus Stylus SH-1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M10 II Gallery and Olympus SH-1 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M10 II offers external dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 47mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 1.9") having a weight of 390 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Olympus SH-1 has measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M10 II and Olympus SH-1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M10 II against the SH-1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 II and SH-1 is 82 and 88 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is hard to see the gap in sensor sizing purely by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 II and SH-1.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide the same MP but not the same sensor sizing. The E-M10 II contains the larger sensor which should make achieving shallow DOF simpler. The younger E-M10 II will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.