Olympus E-M1X vs Sony A500

Following is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-M1X and Sony A500, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-M1X (20MP) and A500 (12MP) and the E-M1X (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1X was brought out 9 years after the A500 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-M1X scores versus the A500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1X & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M1X Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1X offers exterior dimensions of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") with a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs) while the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M1X and Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1X vs the A500.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1X and A500 is 54 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The pic below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1X and A500.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1X due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M1X will result in extra detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images more aggressively. The more recent E-M1X will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.