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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Introduced August 2017
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M10 II
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M10 IV
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Announced April 2010
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Overview

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A850, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the E-M10 III (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and A850 (Full frame) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M10 III was launched 7 years later than the A850 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-M10 III matches up versus the A850 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Sony A850

 E-M10 III A850 
AnnouncedAugust 2017April 2010More recent by 90 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k922kSharper display (+118k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Olympus E-M10 III

 A850 E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A850

 E-M10 III A850 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M10 III provides external measurements of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A850 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M10 III compared to the A850.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 III and A850 is 80 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at technical specs. The visual here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 III and A850.

As you have seen, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M10 III because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A850 will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The more modern E-M10 III will have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Portrait photography info
Sony A850 Portrait photography info
73
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
72
manual focus
sensor resolution is great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Street photography camera
Sony A850 as a Street photography camera
77
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
boasts touch to focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than competition in class (410g)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M10 III
Sports photography with Sony A850
69
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect autofocus
71
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Travel photography info
Sony A850 Travel photography info
67
boasts touch to focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
more heavy than competition in class (410g)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
55
environment sealing
sensor resolution is great (25 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Landscape photography features
Sony A850 Landscape photography features
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
73
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is great (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
no liveview feature
missing Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Vlogging information
Sony A850 Vlogging information
32
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (410g)
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A850
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIISony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2017-08-31 2010-04-15
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 25 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6048 x 4032
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM -
Max video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video data format MPEG-4, 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 410 gr (0.90 lb) 895 gr (1.97 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 1415
Other
Battery life 330 images 880 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Dual
Price at launch $650 $0