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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released February 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Overview

The following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) is relatively close but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 II was announced 3 years after the SZ-31MR iHS which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-M5 II grades vs the SZ-31MR iHS for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 E-M5 II SZ-31MR iHS 
ReleasedFebruary 2015February 2012Newer by 37 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k920kClearer screen (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Olympus E-M5 II

 SZ-31MR iHS E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 E-M5 II SZ-31MR iHS 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II has got outside measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has sizing of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 II against the SZ-31MR iHS.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and SZ-31MR iHS is 80 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching technical specs. The picture here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and SZ-31MR iHS.

As you can tell, both of the cameras provide the same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II comes with the bigger sensor which is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler. The newer E-M5 II will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
72
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
34
good resolution (16MP)
includes face detection autofocus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography factors
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography factors
82
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus via touch
weather proof
above average high ISO (25,600)
64
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Sports photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
65
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proof
not so great battery power (310 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
44
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (200 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography details
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography details
74
weather proof
offers focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery power (310 CIPA)
67
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
provides touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery pack (200 shots)
does not have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography highlights
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography highlights
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery power (310 CIPA)
41
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery pack (200 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging highlights
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging highlights
82
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic socket
35
quite wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not have selfie friendly display
no external mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIOlympus SZ-31MR iHS
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2015-02-06 2012-02-08
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Dual TruePic V
Sensor type MOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1700 secs
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 9.30 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 grams (1.03 lb) 226 grams (0.50 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 images 200 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $699 $0