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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha a1 front
Portability
61
Imaging
82
Features
93
Overall
86

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 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 Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Released February 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5
  • Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Released January 2021
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and a1 (50MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and a1 (Full frame) boast different sensor size.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 7 years prior to the a1 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-M5 II grades vs the a1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony a1

 E-M5 II a1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 a1 E-M5 II 
ReleasedJanuary 2021February 2015Fresher by 72 months
Display resolution1440k1037kCrisper display (+403k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony a1

 E-M5 II a1 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 II features physical 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) and the Sony a1 has measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 II vs the a1.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and a1 is 80 and 61 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing just by reviewing specifications. The photograph here might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and a1.

To sum up, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony a1 will offer you extra detail because of its extra 34 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-M5 II is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography details
Sony a1 Portrait photography details
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
89
manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/400s)
high megapixels (50 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography highlights
Sony a1 Street photography highlights
82
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides touch to focus
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
79
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
offers touch to focus
weather sealing
very good high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography details
Sony a1 Sports photography details
65
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather proof
low battery life (310 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
91
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (30.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
high megapixels (50MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery power (530 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
Sony a1 as a Travel photography camera
74
weather proof
provides touch to focus
MP count good (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
low battery life (310 per charge)
74
great battery power (530 shots)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
offers touch to focus
high megapixels (50MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Landscape photography camera
Sony a1 as a Landscape photography camera
74
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
low battery life (310 shots)
88
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
high megapixels (50MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good high ISO (32,000)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
great battery power (530 per charge)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 II
Vlogging with Sony a1
82
selfie friendly screen
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone port
37
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
high res video (7680 x 4320 resolution)
includes external microphone port
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony a1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony a1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Alpha a1
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Alpha a1
Class Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2015-02-06 2021-01-26
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 50MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 8640 x 5760
Max native ISO 25600 32000
Max boosted ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Lowest boosted ISO 100 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 81 759
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 133
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 9,437 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.9x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 30.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/400 seconds
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) 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 7680x4320
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469 gr (1.03 pounds) 737 gr (1.62 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 images 530 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots 1 Two
Cost at launch $699 $6,498