Olympus E-M10 vs Sony a5100

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M10 and Sony a5100, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and a5100 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M10 was revealed 5 months prior to the a5100 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-M10 grades vs the a5100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M10 & Sony Alpha a5100. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M10 Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 provides physical 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 a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M10 and Sony a5100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M10 versus the a5100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 and a5100 is 82 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The visual here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 and a5100.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M10 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony a5100 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures way more aggressively.