Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500
82 Imaging
53 Features
73 Overall
61
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63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
- Released March 2014
- Replacement is Olympus E-M10 II
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Released August 2009
- Updated by Sony A560
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Overview
In this article, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M10 versus Sony A500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.
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The E-M10 was launched 4 years after the A500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-M10 matches up versus the A500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M10 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M10 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Sony A500
E-M10 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | March 2014 | ![]() | August 2009 | More modern by 56 months |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+807k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus E-M10
A500 | E-M10 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M10 and Sony A500
E-M10 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent display measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen |
Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 offers exterior dimensions of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-M10 versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-M10 and the A500.
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Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and A500 is 82 and 63 respectively.
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
Usually, its difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizes purely by viewing a spec sheet. The pic here should provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M10 and A500.
As you can see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-M10 will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The more recent E-M10 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A500 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M10 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M10 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2014-03-18 | 2009-08-27 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VII | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4272 x 2848 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 200 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 81 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Tilting | Tilting |
Display size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display tech | TFT LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting rate | 8.0fps | 5.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 5.80 m (ISO100) | 12.00 m |
Flash options | 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) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
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 | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | - |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | Optional | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 396 grams (0.87 pounds) | 630 grams (1.39 pounds) |
Dimensions | 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 72 | 64 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 22.8 | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.3 | 11.6 |
DXO Low light rating | 884 | 772 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 320 images | 520 images |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | NP-FM500H |
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) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail cost | $600 | $638 |