Olympus E-M10 vs Sony DSC-W560: A Deep Dive into Two Very Different Cameras

When it comes to choosing a camera in today’s crowded market, it's essential to cut through the noise and get to the heart of what a model can realistically deliver for photographers from beginners to seasoned pros. Today, I’m comparing two often overlooked yet intriguing contenders from Olympus and Sony: the Olympus OM-D E-M10 mirrorless camera and the much more modest Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560 ultracompact point-and-shoot.

On paper, these two cameras occupy vastly different strata of the market - a capable entry-level mirrorless versus a bargain-basement ultracompact - but by examining them side by side across a full spectrum of photographic disciplines and technical specifications, we can uncover what kinds of photographers, shooting styles, and situations each is suited for. Drawing on extensive hands-on testing and detailed technical analysis, let’s explore how these cameras really perform in real-world settings and how their specs translate to imagery and user experience.

Size, Ergonomics, and Handling: The Feel of a Camera

Right off the bat, the physical dimensions and build quality set these cameras worlds apart. The Olympus E-M10 is designed in a classic SLR-style mirrorless body, measuring 119x82x46 mm and weighing in at 396 grams. This heft and size lend it a solid grip that’s a boon for controlled shooting, especially with larger lenses. The body’s magnesium alloy construction feels reassuringly durable though it lacks weather sealing - a minor drawback. The tilting touchscreen LCD and a customizable array of buttons make it friendly for both beginners and enthusiasts wanting quick access to controls.

In stark contrast, the Sony W560 is a tiny ultracompact camera - just 94x56x19 mm and barely 110 grams. Its candy-bar form factor is ultra-portable, slips into a pocket effortlessly, and demands little manual intervention due to its fixed lens and streamlined controls. While this makes it incredibly convenient for casual shooting or travel as a backup camera, the handling experience is limited - buttons are small, and there’s no electronic viewfinder, so composing in bright light can be tricky.

Ergonomics clearly favor the Olympus for sustained use and creative control; the Sony wins on sheer portability and ease for snapshots.

Design and Control Layout

From a controls perspective, the Olympus impresses with its dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation, and mode selection - a dream for photographers who want to adjust settings quickly without diving into menus. The top plate layout is clean but busy, emblematic of its enthusiast-targeted design, while the Sony’s top view reveals a simple, minimal button array aimed at point-and-shoot convenience. There is no manual shutter or aperture priority mode on the Sony, which restricts creative exposure control.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

The sensor is where the Olympus E-M10 takes a commanding lead. With a Four Thirds MOS sensor sized 17.3x13mm and 16 megapixels resolution, it outperforms the Sony’s small 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor (6.17x4.55mm) with 14 megapixels, not only in raw resolution but also in image quality metrics like color depth, dynamic range, and noise performance.

In practical shooting, this means the Olympus delivers images with richer colors, better detail retention in shadows and highlights, and higher usable ISO sensitivity - up to 25,600 native ISO compared to the Sony’s max ISO of 3,200. The Olympus sensor uses a CMOS design with TruePic VII processor enabling better noise reduction and faster data handling, while the Sony’s CCD sensor and older BIONZ processor struggle with noise in low light and slower performance.

This larger sensor advantage becomes especially evident in disciplines dependent on image quality - portraits, landscapes, and night photography, where dynamic range and color fidelity are crucial.

Autofocus and Performance: Speed, Accuracy, and Flexibility

The Olympus E-M10 packs an 81-point contrast-detection autofocus system, including face detection and continuous AF tracking, plus 8 FPS burst shooting, which performed well in my testing for both static and moving subjects. Its focus is notably accurate, with reliable performance even in challenging light. However, the lack of phase-detection AF means it’s not quite as snappy or predictive as modern hybrid systems.

The Sony W560 has a basic 9-point contrast AF system with single-shot focus only. Autofocus is slow and prone to hunting in low light. Burst shooting is limited to 1 FPS, so it’s not designed for action or wildlife photography.

For photographers needing to track fast-moving wildlife, sports, or street scenes, the Olympus provides serious AF flexibility and decent speed, whereas the Sony is strictly for casual static subjects and snapshots.

Viewfinder and LCD Screen: Composition Tools

The Olympus impresses here with its high-resolution 1.44M-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) that covers 100% of the frame and has a magnification of 0.58x. This EVF is bright, lag-free, and excellent for composing images in bright conditions where LCDs struggle. Its 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with 1.037 million dots adds flexibility for shooting angles and focus control.

The Sony lacks any viewfinder and has a fixed 3-inch Clear Photo LCD with only 230k dots - significantly lower resolution - resulting in a grainier display that hampers precise focusing and framing. There’s no touchscreen, so interface navigation relies on tiny buttons.

The Olympus’s viewfinding and interface tools are a step ahead in usability and creative control, critical for more serious photographers.

Lens Ecosystem and Flexibility

One of Olympus’s strongest selling points is the extensive Micro Four Thirds lens mount system with over 100 native lenses available - including primes, zooms, macros, and specialized optics - from both Olympus and third-party makers like Panasonic and Sigma. This vibrant ecosystem offers tremendous creative potential for portrait, landscape, wildlife, and macro photography at various price points.

The Sony W560 has a fixed 4x zoom lens (26-104mm equiv.) with aperture ranging from f/2.7 to f/5.7. While versatile for casual general use, it offers no possibility for lens changes or upgrades - drastically limiting creative flexibility.

Battery Life and Storage: Practical Considerations for On-the-Go Shooting

The Olympus uses a rechargeable BLS-5 battery pack rated for around 320 shots per charge under CIPA standards. While not extraordinary, this is decent for an entry-level mirrorless and can be extended with spare batteries. It uses a single SD card slot supporting SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

The Sony W560 relies on the NP-BN1 battery, but official battery life ratings are absent, and my testing confirmed moderate endurance, typical of compact cameras intended for casual shots. It supports multiple storage media formats, including Memory Stick Duo and SD cards, which offers compatibility flexibility.

For prolonged outings, the Olympus encourages spare batteries, while the Sony’s lightweight design offsets the convenience of longer battery life somewhat.

Olympus E M10 front Olympus E M10 screen back Sony W560 front Sony W560 screen back

Real-World Photography Performance: Where Each Camera Shines

Portrait Photography

Portraiture demands excellent skin tones, smooth subject isolation, and accurate eye detection autofocus. The Olympus E-M10’s larger sensor and Micro Four Thirds lenses enable shallower depth of field and beautiful bokeh, resulting in naturally rendered skin tones and crisp focus on eyes. Its face and eye detection autofocus greatly simplify capturing sharp portraits with pleasing background separation.

The Sony W560, with its small sensor and limited lens aperture, struggles to blur backgrounds effectively except at the longest zoom end. Its autofocus lacks face detection, reducing precision on portrait subjects. Skin tones can appear flatter and noisier in less-than-ideal lighting.

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography benefits from high resolution, dynamic range, and weather-sealed build. The Olympus shines here with its 16MP MOS sensor delivering wide tonal range and excellent detail capture - even after post-processing. Though the Olympus E-M10 lacks explicit weather sealing, its compact body is rugged enough for most hike-and-shoot scenarios, especially paired with weather-resistant lenses.

The Sony’s tiny sensor limits dynamic range and detail resolution, leading to flatter, less nuanced landscapes - especially in high-contrast scenes. The lack of physical controls and GPS also restricts its appeal to serious landscape travelers.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

Fast, accurate autofocus and fast burst shooting are key. Olympus’s 8 FPS continuous shooting combined with its 81-point AF, face and tracking capabilities position the E-M10 well for casual wildlife and sports, particularly when paired with telephoto zooms. Its image stabilization further aids handheld shooting.

The Sony has neither fast AF nor high frame rates, making it unsuitable for subjects in motion.

Street Photography

Portability, discretion, and quick response are vital. Here the Sony W560’s pocketable size and simple operation make it a stealthy companion. Its quiet operation and limited controls acceptably serve casual street shooters.

However, the Olympus, while larger, remains compact and delivers superior image quality and focus accuracy, which many street photographers will find worth the size tradeoff.

Macro Photography

Microscopic detail and precise focusing are crucial. The Olympus’s extensive lens options include close-up and macro lenses with high magnification and focus stacking capabilities. Its sensor stabilizer assists in handholding at slow shutter speeds.

The Sony has limited macro abilities only to 5cm at best, and no dedicated macro mode.

Night / Astrophotography

Low-light capability and high ISO performance are paramount. The Olympus’s larger sensor and noise reduction excel here, allowing cleaner images at ISO 1600–3200.

The Sony’s small sensor produces more noise and lower detail retention in dark scenes, restricting nighttime usability.

Video Capabilities

The Olympus offers Full HD 1080p recording at 30fps with sensor-based image stabilization. It also includes manual exposure controls for video, though lacks mic and headphone jacks limiting professional audio workflows.

Sony W560 maxes out at 720p HD video, with no manual controls or audio port.

Build Quality, Reliability, and Professional Integration

While neither camera is explicitly weather sealed or ruggedized, Olympus’s build quality and mirrorless design lend better reliability, especially paired with a professional lens lineup. Its support for RAW files ensures full control over image processing in professional workflows.

The Sony only shoots JPEGs, limiting post-processing flexibility.

Connectivity and Wireless Features

The Olympus includes built-in Wi-Fi for image transfer and remote control - a huge convenience for modern photographers.

The Sony supports Eye-Fi card wireless connectivity but lacks built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, making wireless image transfer limited and cumbersome.

Price-to-Performance Comparison

Priced around $600 new, the Olympus E-M10 offers immense value for budding enthusiasts or pros on a budget wanting a flexible, expandable system. The Sony W560, at about $140, is a no-frills ultracompact ideal for casual users or those wanting a highly pocketable secondary camera.

Final Thoughts: Which Should You Choose?

Choose the Olympus E-M10 if:

• You want a versatile entry-level mirrorless with room to grow
• You need manual exposure controls, interchangeable lenses, and excellent image quality
• Portrait, landscape, wildlife, and night photography are key interests
• You value having an electronic viewfinder and advanced autofocus
• You’re willing to carry a slightly larger camera in exchange for creative control

Choose the Sony W560 if:

• You want a super-portable, simple point-and-shoot for casual snapshots
• Your budget is very tight or you need a compact travel/backup camera
• Manual controls and top-tier image quality are less important
• You shoot mostly in good light and want easy, no-fuss operation

This comparison underscores the gulf between a capable mirrorless system and a modest ultracompact - a demonstration of how specification sheets translate to tangible photographic experiences. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 stands out as an intelligent investment for serious photographers looking for quality and expandability, while the Sony DSC-W560 fills a niche as an affordable, pocket-friendly snapshot machine.

With thousands of hours of testing behind me, I confidently recommend choosing based on your shooting style and priorities above all else. Both cameras serve their purpose well, but the Olympus really raises the bar for image quality and creative potential within its price class.

Happy shooting!