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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 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
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M5
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M5 III
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Bump to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Introduced April 2010
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 Overview

In this article, we will be comparing the Olympus E-M5 II versus Sony A850, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and A850 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 4 years after the A850 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-M5 II scores vs the A850 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony A850

 E-M5 II A850 
IntroducedFebruary 2015April 2010More modern by 59 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k922kClearer screen (+115k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 A850 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A850

 E-M5 II A850 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys outer measurements 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 A850 has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 II versus Sony A850 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the A850.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and A850 is 80 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizes just by looking through technical specs. The image underneath may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and A850.

As you can tell, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 II with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh tougher and the Sony A850 will result in more detail because of its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 II should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A850 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
great sensor resolution (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography advice
Sony A850 Street photography advice
82
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
provides touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Sports photography with Sony A850
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
not so great battery pack (310 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor resolution (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
environment proof
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography info
Sony A850 Travel photography info
74
weather proof
provides touch focus
decent MP (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery pack (310 shots)
55
environment proof
great sensor resolution (25MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
not so great battery pack (310 shots)
73
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor resolution (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
has double storage slots
doesn't have liveview
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging advice
Sony A850 Vlogging advice
82
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic support
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A850
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Class Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2015-02-06 2010-04-15
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 25 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW photos
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 gr (1.03 pounds) 895 gr (1.97 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 79
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 12.2
DXO Low light rating 896 1415
Other
Battery life 310 shots 880 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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 Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 Two
Pricing at release $699 $0