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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha QX1 front
Portability
90
Imaging
63
Features
48
Overall
57

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 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
  • Announced February 2015
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Sony QX1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • " Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 216g - 74 x 70 x 53mm
  • Released September 2014
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony QX1, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Lens-style by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the QX1 (20MP) is fairly comparable but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and QX1 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 II was announced 6 months after the QX1 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-M5 II scores against the QX1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony QX1

 E-M5 II QX1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3""Larger display (+3")
Display resolution1037k0kSharper display (+1037k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony QX1 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 QX1 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony QX1

 E-M5 II QX1 
ReleasedFebruary 2015September 2014Same age
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys outside measurements 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 Sony QX1 has measurements of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") along with a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony QX1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-M5 II against the QX1.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and QX1 is 80 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions simply by seeing a spec sheet. The image below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and QX1.

Clearly, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II with its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Sony QX1 will provide more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics much more aggressively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony QX1 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
66
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography information
Sony QX1 Street photography information
82
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features touch focus
environment proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
69
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
includes focus via touch
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than others (216 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography info
Sony QX1 Sports photography info
65
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
56
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good battery life (440 CIPA)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography details
Sony QX1 Travel photography details
74
environment proofing
features touch focus
MP count decent (16MP)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery life (310 CIPA)
71
good battery life (440 CIPA)
includes focus via touch
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than others (216g)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography highlights
Sony QX1 Landscape photography highlights
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
not so great battery life (310 shots)
64
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (440 per charge)
tiny screen ( inch)
no manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
does not have Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Sony QX1 as a Vlogging camera
82
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic support
32
touchscreen enabled
features face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
does not have external microphone socket
more heavy than others (216g)
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony QX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony QX1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha QX1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha QX1
Class Advanced Mirrorless Lens-style
Announced 2015-02-06 2014-09-03
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Lens-style
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz X
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 25600 16000
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.6
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches -
Resolution of display 1,037k dots 0k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Off, auto, fill, slow sync, rear sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469g (1.03 pounds) 216g (0.48 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 74 x 70 x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1")
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 shots 440 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots One One
Cost at release $699 $500