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Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57

Portability
82
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 390g - 120 x 83 x 47mm
  • Revealed August 2015
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M10
  • Updated by Olympus E-M10 III
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A55
  • Successor is Sony A58
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Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-M10 II and Sony A57, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M10 II (16MP) and the A57 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the E-M10 II (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-M10 II was announced 2 years later than the A57 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-M10 II grades against the A57 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 II over the Sony A57

 E-M10 II A57 
RevealedAugust 2015September 2012More recent by 36 months
Screen resolution1040k921kClearer screen (+119k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Olympus E-M10 II

 A57 E-M10 II 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 II and Sony A57

 E-M10 II A57 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 II enjoys physical measurements of 120mm x 83mm x 47mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 1.9") along with a weight of 390 grams (0.86 lbs) while the Sony A57 has specifications of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M10 II and Sony A57 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-M10 II compared to the A57.

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 II and A57 is 82 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements purely by seeing specs. The graphic below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 II and A57.

All in all, both of those cameras have the same MP albeit different sensor measurements. The E-M10 II has got the smaller sensor which is going to make getting bokeh more difficult. The fresher E-M10 II provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M10 II
Portrait photography with Sony A57
72
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW files
74
you can focus manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II as a Street photography camera
Sony A57 as a Street photography camera
83
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
boasts focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
75
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II Sports photography information
Sony A57 Sports photography information
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M10 II
Travel photography with Sony A57
73
boasts focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
screen isn't selfie friendly
67
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M10 II
Landscape photography with Sony A57
79
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
72
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 II Vlogging advice
Sony A57 Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have mic socket
77
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic support
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Olympus E-M10 II vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 II and Sony A57
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 IISony SLT-A57
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 II Sony SLT-A57
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2015-08-25 2012-09-13
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 16000
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (ISO 100) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill flash, flash off, 1st-curtain slow sync w/redeye, 1st-curtain slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p/30p/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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 None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 390g (0.86 pounds) 618g (1.36 pounds)
Physical dimensions 120 x 83 x 47mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 1.9") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 75
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.5 13.0
DXO Low light rating 842 785
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 550 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $499 $1,000