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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha A7R III front
Portability
63
Imaging
78
Features
93
Overall
84

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III 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
  • Launched February 2015
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M5
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 III
Sony A7R III
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Revealed October 2017
  • Older Model is Sony A7R II
  • Replacement is Sony A7R IV
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A7R III, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and A7R III (Full frame) use totally different sensor size.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 3 years earlier than the A7R III and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-M5 II grades against the A7R III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony A7R III

 E-M5 II A7R III 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Olympus E-M5 II

 A7R III E-M5 II 
RevealedOctober 2017February 2015Fresher by 33 months
Screen resolution1440k1037kSharper screen (+403k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A7R III

 E-M5 II A7R III 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II features physical dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R III has dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A7R III in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the A7R III.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and A7R III is 80 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading through specifications. The visual underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 II and A7R III.

Plainly, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A7R III will give more detail because of its extra 26MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-M5 II is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography features
Sony A7R III Portrait photography features
72
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
86
has manual focus
sensor resolution is excellent (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography advice
Sony A7R III Street photography advice
82
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
supports touch to focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
79
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
has focus by touch
environment sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7R III as a Sports photography camera
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
89
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is excellent (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery power (650 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Sony A7R III
74
environment proofing
supports touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery life (310 per charge)
74
great battery power (650 per charge)
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
has focus by touch
sensor resolution is excellent (42MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography factors
Sony A7R III Landscape photography factors
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
not so great battery life (310 shots)
87
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is excellent (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
no low pass filter
great ISO range (32,000)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery power (650 per charge)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7R III as a Vlogging camera
82
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic jack
37
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic support
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A7R III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A7R III
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha A7R III
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha A7R III
Class Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2015-02-06 2017-10-25
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type MOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7952 x 5304
Highest native ISO 25600 32000
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO 100 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 81 425
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots 3,686k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 gr (1.03 lbs) 657 gr (1.45 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 100
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 14.7
DXO Low light rating 896 3523
Other
Battery life 310 photographs 650 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one)
Card slots Single Two
Launch price $699 $2,800