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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 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
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M5
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched August 2009
  • Successor is Sony A560
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 Overview

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 II was announced 5 years after the A500 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-M5 II scores against the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony A500

 E-M5 II A500 
LaunchedFebruary 2015August 2009More modern by 67 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 A500 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A500

 E-M5 II A500 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II has got physical 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) while the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-M5 II versus the A500.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and A500 is 80 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by reading through specifications. The pic here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and A500.

Plainly, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 II with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus E-M5 II will resolve extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 II should have a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Portrait photography with Sony A500
72
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW formats
63
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography advice
Sony A500 Street photography advice
82
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has touch focus
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography advice
Sony A500 Sports photography advice
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
bad battery power (310 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (520 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography details
Sony A500 Travel photography details
74
weather proof
has touch focus
MP count good (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery power (310 shots)
43
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
bad battery life (520 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography features
Sony A500 Landscape photography features
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
bad battery power (310 per charge)
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (520 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging information
Sony A500 Vlogging information
82
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external mic port
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A500
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2015-02-06 2009-08-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469g (1.03 lb) 630g (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 64
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 11.6
DXO Low light score 896 772
Other
Battery life 310 images 520 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $699 $638