Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A6500

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-M5 II versus Sony A6500, both Advanced Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 II was unveiled 20 months before the A6500 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-M5 II matches up vs the A6500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Sony Alpha a6500. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II comes with outer 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 A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 II versus Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 II against the A6500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and A6500 is 80 and 81 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through specs. The visual here will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and A6500.

All in all, the 2 cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 II with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A6500 will give greater detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-M5 II is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.