Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7
82 Imaging
53 Features
73 Overall
61


78 Imaging
70 Features
80 Overall
74
Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
- Launched March 2014
- Successor is Olympus E-M10 II
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 50 - 25600
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
- Introduced January 2014
- Updated by Sony A7 II

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Overview
In this article, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-M10 and Sony A7, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and A7 (24MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and A7 (Full frame) come with totally different sensor sizing.

The E-M10 was brought out 2 months after the A7 so they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-M10 matches up against the A7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M10 & Sony Alpha A7. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M10 Gallery & Sony A7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Sony A7
E-M10 | A7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Olympus E-M10
A7 | E-M10 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 1230k | ![]() | 1037k | Crisper screen (+193k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-M10 and Sony A7
E-M10 | A7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | March 2014 | ![]() | January 2014 | Same age |
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting screen |
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen |
Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M10 enjoys external measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 has measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-M10 and Sony A7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-M10 compared to the A7.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 and A7 is 82 and 78 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison
Often, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The picture below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and A7.
As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A7 will show greater detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots far more aggressively.

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A7 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M10 | Sony Alpha A7 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M10 | Sony Alpha A7 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Pro Mirrorless |
Launched | 2014-03-18 | 2014-01-22 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VII | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | Full frame |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 35.8 x 23.9mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 855.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6000 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 25600 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 50 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Number of focus points | 81 | 117 |
Cross focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Available lenses | 107 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Tilting | Tilting |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 1,037 thousand dots | 1,230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Screen tech | TFT LCD | Xtra Fine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dots | 2,359 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.71x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 8.0fps | 5.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 5.80 m (ISO100) | no built-in flash |
Flash settings | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual(1/1(FULL)~1/64) | no built-in flash |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/250 seconds | 1/250 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | Optional | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 396 gr (0.87 lb) | 474 gr (1.04 lb) |
Dimensions | 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") | 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 72 | 90 |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | 24.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | 14.2 |
DXO Low light score | 884 | 2248 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 320 photos | 340 photos |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-5 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) |
Time lapse feature | With downloadable app | |
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Launch cost | $600 | $798 |