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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 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
  • Announced August 2017
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M10 II
  • Successor is Olympus E-M10 IV
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Released October 2016
  • Old Model is Sony A6300
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 Overview

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-M10 III versus Sony A6500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-M10 III (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-M10 III was manufactured 11 months after the A6500 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-M10 III grades versus the A6500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Sony A6500

 E-M10 III A6500 
ReleasedAugust 2017October 2016More modern by 11 months
Display resolution1040k922kSharper display (+118k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus E-M10 III

 A6500 E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A6500

 E-M10 III A6500 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 III provides physical measurements of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M10 III versus Sony A6500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M10 III against the A6500.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 III and A6500 is 80 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes simply by going over technical specs. The image underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 III and A6500.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 III due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A6500 will deliver more detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The newer E-M10 III will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M10 III
Portrait photography with Sony A6500
73
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
80
manual focus
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Street photography details
Sony A6500 Street photography details
77
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than competition in class (410 grams)
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
supports touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Sports photography info
Sony A6500 Sports photography info
69
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
77
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
supports phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Travel photography advice
Sony A6500 Travel photography advice
67
has touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
more heavy than competition in class (410 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
74
weather proof
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
decent MP (24MP)
flash built-in
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Landscape photography details
Sony A6500 Landscape photography details
80
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6500 as a Vlogging camera
32
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone jack
more heavy than competition in class (410g)
39
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with microphone support
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A6500
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIISony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Sony Alpha a6500
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2017-08-31 2016-10-06
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 425
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000s 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.6fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.80 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
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 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 410 grams (0.90 lb) 453 grams (1.00 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 330 shots 350 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $650 $1,298