Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony Cyber-shot H300: An Expert Comparative Deep Dive for Photography Enthusiasts

When choosing a camera, particularly in the entry-level and bridge categories, photographers often face a broad spectrum of options that promise versatility, ease of use, and respectable image quality for modest budgets. Today’s in-depth comparison focuses on two cameras that occupy these accessible segments but embody fundamentally different philosophies and technologies: the Olympus OM-D E-M10 II, a mirrorless Micro Four Thirds offering with interchangeable lenses, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300, a superzoom bridge camera with a fixed lens.

Based on extensive hands-on testing and covering nuanced technical attributes alongside practical use cases, this article is designed to empower both enthusiastic beginners and advanced users contemplating these models. We delve into every relevant aspect from sensor prowess and autofocus capabilities to ergonomics and genre-specific suitability, integrating seven critical images to illustrate distinctions and aid decision-making.

First Impressions and Physical Presence: Handling and Ergonomics

The tactile experience and physical interface of a camera profoundly influence shooting comfort and operational efficiency, especially when engaged over extended sessions or in challenging environments. The Olympus E-M10 II adheres to the classic SLR-style mirrorless body, offering a robust, compact chassis that benefits from thoughtful ergonomics characteristic of Olympus design.

Conversely, the Sony H300 embraces a larger, bridge-style form factor reminiscent of a DSLR but with a fixed lens, resulting in bulkier dimensions and a heavier feel.

Olympus E-M10 II: Compact yet Comprehensive

At 120 x 83 x 47 mm and weighing a mere 390 grams (body only), the E-M10 II exemplifies pocketable portability without sacrificing durability. Its sculpted grip affords stable one-handed operation, aided by textured surfaces. The tilting 3.0-inch touchscreen gives users interactive framing flexibility, especially valuable in creative angles such as low or high shooting perspectives.

Sony H300: Bulky with Superzoom Convenience

Measuring 130 x 95 x 122 mm and tipping the scales at 590 grams, the H300 is notably larger and heavier. Its design aligns with bridge cameras prioritizing integrated superzoom lenses rather than modularity. The fixed lens significantly influences body mass distribution and handling balance, which can fatigue users during extended hand-holding.

Control Layout and User Interface: Balancing Complexity and Accessibility

Mastery over exposure, focus, and settings directly depends on control ergonomics and the intuitiveness of the camera's user interface. Olympus’s E-M10 II distinguishes itself with a modernized control layout, blending physical dials with touchscreen functionality, encouraging both novice experimentation and professional precision.

In contrast, the Sony H300 employs a minimalistic control approach typical of point-and-shoot bridges, emphasizing auto-modes and simplified menus.

Olympus: Traditional DSLR Feel with Intelligent Enhancements

The E-M10 II’s top plate features a mode dial offering manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and program modes, essential for ambitious photographers seeking creative control. Dual command dials enable swift adjustments to aperture and shutter speed, and customizable buttons accommodate personalized shortcuts. The rear LCD touchscreen enhances navigation and focusing flexibility, while an electronic viewfinder (EVF) allows precise composition in bright light.

Sony: Simplicity for General Users

Lacking an EVF, the H300 depends solely on its 3.0-inch fixed LCD that offers limited resolution (460 pixels vertical) and no touch capability. The control scheme is streamlined, primarily guiding users through full auto and scene modes, with manual focus being the notable exception in the exposure settings. The absence of dedicated exposure priority modes limits advanced manual intervention.

Sensor Architecture and Image Quality: The Heart of the Camera Debate

Sensor size and technology dramatically influence image quality parameters such as dynamic range, noise performance, color accuracy, and overall resolution fidelity. Here, the Olympus E-M10 II leverages a larger Micro Four Thirds sensor, while the Sony H300 employs a much smaller 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, a key differentiator in photographic potential.

Olympus E-M10 II: Superior Sensor Characteristics

The E-M10 II’s 17.3x13 mm Four Thirds CMOS sensor with 16-megapixel resolution offers a balanced combination of detail, low-light sensitivity, and dynamic range, facilitated by a native ISO range of 200–25600 (expandable to ISO 100 minimum). The sensor’s 224.9 mm² surface area is over eight times larger than the H300’s, directly contributing to cleaner images with less noise and richer tonal gradations.

Olympus incorporates the TruePic VII image processor enhancing noise reduction, color reproduction, and speed of data throughput. DxOMark ratings further validate its advantages, boasting a color depth of 23.1 bits and dynamic range of 12.5 EV, underlining professional-grade image fidelity for the segment.

Sony H300: Limited by Sensor Constraints

The H300’s 1/2.3-inch (6.17x4.55 mm) CCD sensor, despite offering 20 megapixels nominally, is fundamentally constrained by its diminutive physical size (28.07 mm²). Although resolution is ostensibly higher, pixel pitch is small, affecting light-gathering capacity and increasing noise levels at ISO beyond 400. The camera’s max native ISO is capped at 3200 but suffers from aggressive noise artifacts.

CCD sensors traditionally struggle with dynamic range and produce less vibrant color than modern CMOS units, a fact evident in shadow recovery and highlight roll-off. Overall image quality suits casual photography or snapshots rather than demanding applications.

Autofocus System and Speed: A Critical Factor Across Genres

The ability of a camera to achieve precise, fast focus impacts success in nearly all photographic scenarios - from frozen fast action in sports to macro detail work. Olympus equips the E-M10 II with an advanced contrast-detection autofocus system supplemented by 81 focus points and face detection, whereas Sony’s H300 offers a simpler system with less focus versatility.

Olympus E-M10 II: Agile and Intelligent Focusing

While lacking phase-detection AF, the E-M10 II’s contrast-based system excels due to significant firmware optimizations, providing reliable subject acquisition with impressive tracking for the class. Eye detection AF assists in portraiture, enhancing sharpness in critical areas. Continuous AF performs well in burst shooting modes, capturing action sequences with minimal hunting.

The camera supports multiple AF modes - single, continuous, selective, and multi-area - allowing adaptation to specific shooting requirements. Notably, manual focus is fully supported with focus peaking overlays and direct lens control, favoring user control enthusiasts and macro practitioners.

Sony H300: Simplified but Functional

The H300 autofocus system is limited to contrast detection with unspecified focus points. Face detection is available but focus tracking capabilities are rudimentary, impacting its effectiveness for fast-moving subjects like wildlife or sports. Moreover, continuous AF is not supported, and manual focus operation is neither smooth nor extensive.

This impacts shutter lag and sometimes results in missed shots under challenging light or fast action conditions.

Burst Shooting and Shutter Mechanics: Capturing the Decisive Moment

Moving subjects require performant burst rates and shutter speeds to maximize sharp frame capture probabilities. Olympus provides an 8 fps continuous shooting rate, whereas Sony’s H300 lags behind at a single frame per second, illustrating divergent target use cases.

Olympus: Versatile Mechanical Shutter With Moderate Speed

The E-M10 II’s shutter ranges from 60 seconds to 1/4000th second, allowing a wide array of exposure creative options, including long exposures. Its silent electronic shutter mode is unavailable but the mechanical shutter performs responsively. For decisive moment shooters, 8 fps at full resolution with autofocus tracking represents a balanced capability uncommon in entry-level models.

Sony: Reduced Flexibility Limits Action Capture

Shutter speed maxes at 1/1500, and the slow continuous shooting speed essentially disqualifies it for sports or fast wildlife photography. The camera’s design philosophy aligns with still subjects or casual travel snaps rather than demanding action capture.

Built Quality, Weather Resistance, and Durability

Robustness is essential for photographers venturing outdoors, landscape vistas, or adverse weather conditions.

• Neither model offers professional-grade weather sealing or ruggedness certifications.
• Olympus’s magnesium alloy components provide a more premium feel compared to Sony H300’s plastic body.
• Weight and size discrepancies influence portability outlook and packing considerations.

Display and Viewfinder Utility

Viewing systems impact framing accuracy, shooting ease in bright environments, and creative composing style.

• Olympus E-M10 II features a high-resolution 1040k-dot tilting touchscreen and a 2360k-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage, facilitating precise composition - even under harsh sunlight - and extended versatility in orientation.
• Sony H300 relies on a fixed 460k-dot LCD without touchscreen capabilities and lacks an EVF entirely, requiring reliance on the LCD, which can be challenging outdoors due to glare and lower contrast.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Flexibility vs. Convenience

One of the most fundamental differences lies in lens interchangeability.

• The Olympus E-M10 II mounts Micro Four Thirds lenses, a mature ecosystem boasting over 100 lenses from Olympus, Panasonic, and third-party manufacturers. This ecosystem ranges from ultra-wide to super-telephoto primes and zooms with variable apertures for specialized needs.
• The Sony H300 utilizes a fixed 25-875 mm (35mm equivalent) lens, representing a massive 35x zoom but with a variable aperture range of f/3 to f/5.9, limiting low-light performance, especially at telephoto reach.

This modular adaptability makes the Olympus system ideal for photographers seeking progressive gear customization across disciplines.

Battery Life and Storage Options

Battery endurance and media capabilities affect field usability significantly.

• Olympus E-M10 II uses proprietary BLS-50 lithium-ion batteries rated for approximately 320 shots per charge under CIPA standards, which is reasonable but benefits from carrying spares. Storage is managed by a single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot.
• Sony H300 offers modest 350 shots per charge using its dedicated battery, which matches Olympus in daily capacity. Storage is versatile, supporting multiple SD cards and Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick formats, which can be convenient or a source of confusion.

Connectivity, Video Capability, and Multimedia Features

Multimedia demands increasingly influence camera choice, especially with hybrid photo-video workflows.

The Olympus offers superior video specs, including 1080p 60p recording and Wi-Fi for remote capture or image transfer, catering to vloggers and hybrid shooters. While lacking audio port support, the E-M10 II still presents more advanced video control than the Sony H300’s basic 720p video capture.

Genre-Specific Performance and Use Case Analysis

Understanding how these cameras perform across photography types yields critical insights for purchase relevance.

Olympus E M10 II front Olympus E M10 II screen back Sony H300 front Sony H300 screen back

Portrait Photography

• Olympus E-M10 II excels due to eye-detection AF, bokeh quality from wide-aperture lenses, and excellent skin tone rendering enabled by its sensor and color science.
• The Sony H300 suffers from limited depth of field control due to fixed lens aperture and less effective autofocus on faces, reducing portrait impact.

Landscape Photography

• Olympus offers superior dynamic range, higher resolution, and weather sealing (to a degree when using proper lenses), supporting detailed landscape captures.
• Sony's smaller sensor restricts tonal latitude but the extensive zoom range can be useful for remote distant subjects.

Wildlife and Sports

• The E-M10 II’s 8 fps burst and autofocus tracking increase capture success in action and wildlife scenarios.
• Sony’s 1 fps speed and sluggish AF limit performance; however, its superzoom lens provides reach for casual wildlife spotting.

Street and Travel Photography

• The Olympus is compact, stealthy, and responsive - excellent for candid street photography.
• The Sony’s bulk and slower response make it less suited for spontaneous capture but its lens versatility can appeal to travel photographers prioritizing all-in-one zoom.

Macro and Close-up

• With compatible macro lenses and focus peaking, Olympus enables detailed close-ups.
• Sony lacks special macro capabilities and struggles with precise focusing.

Night and Astrophotography

• Olympus’s better high ISO and longer exposures facilitate astrophotography.
• Sony’s noisy sensor restricts performance in low light.

Video Recording

• Olympus supports high-quality Full HD with frame rate flexibility and Wi-Fi connectivity.
• Sony only offers basic HD video without advanced features.

Price-to-Performance and Verdict for Different Users

Who Should Choose Olympus E-M10 II?

• Enthusiasts and semi-professionals seeking a flexible system with room for growth
• Users who prioritize photographic quality, manual control, and advanced autofocus
• Portrait, landscape, macro, and video shooters who want a compact, modern mirrorless experience
• Photographers who value an interchangeable lens system and frequent handheld shooting

Who Should Consider Sony H300?

• Budget-conscious buyers desiring a camera without lens-changing complexity
• Casual users focusing on travel or wildlife snapshots benefiting from an extreme zoom range
• First-time digital camera users wanting a traditional SLR-like handling with auto and scene modes
• Situations where lightweight, versatile reach matters more than pro-level image fidelity

Final Summary

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 II and Sony Cyber-shot H300 represent divergent philosophies within accessible camera categories. Olympus’s mirrorless system-centric design prioritizes image quality, creative manual controls, and video versatility, demanding a higher investment but rewarding in performance and flexibility. Sony’s superzoom bridge approach appeals via convenience and extreme lens reach but is limited by sensor, autofocus, and video capabilities.

For photography enthusiasts committed to learning and producing high-quality imagery across genres - including portraiture, landscapes, wildlife, night scenes, and video - the Olympus E-M10 II stands out as a substantially superior tool. Conversely, if your priorities are simplicity, affordability, and zoom range for casual use, the Sony H300 remains a reasonable contender.

Through years of tested experience across thousands of cameras, this analysis highlights that beyond specifications, the user’s creative ambitions, preferred shooting styles, and upgrade plans remain critical in selecting the ideal camera - choices that the Olympus and Sony models serve quite differently.

We hope this exhaustive comparison helps you navigate the nuances of these cameras and aligns your purchase with your photographic journey. For more guidance or detailed lens recommendations for the Olympus system, feel free to explore our subsequent articles.