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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Olympus VG-160 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 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
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 II versus Olympus VG-160, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the VG-160 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 II was released 3 years later than the VG-160 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-M5 II scores against the VG-160 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Olympus VG-160

 E-M5 II VG-160 
ReleasedFebruary 2015January 2012Fresher by 38 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 VG-160 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Olympus VG-160

 E-M5 II VG-160 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 II provides external dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Olympus VG-160 has proportions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 II versus Olympus VG-160 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-M5 II vs the VG-160.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and VG-160 is 80 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing just by researching technical specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and VG-160.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 II will render greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots more aggressively. The newer E-M5 II provides an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography info
Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography info
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
33
decent megapixels (14MP)
provides face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Olympus VG-160
82
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
comes with focus via touch
weather proof
good high ISO (25,600)
56
lighter than competition (125 grams)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Sports photography camera
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
26
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
low battery pack (165 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography advice
Olympus VG-160 Travel photography advice
74
weather proof
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery life (310 per charge)
65
lighter than competition (125g)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (26mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (165 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery life (310 per charge)
36
really wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
low battery pack (165 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging highlights
Olympus VG-160 Vlogging highlights
82
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic jack
30
really wide (26mm)
provides face detection focusing
lighter than competition (125g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Olympus VG-160 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Olympus VG-160
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIOlympus VG-160
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Olympus VG-160
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2015-02-06 2012-01-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
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 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 81 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 7cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.80 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 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 gr (1.03 lb) 125 gr (0.28 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 photographs 165 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $699 $90