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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 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
  • Released February 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Introduced August 2012
  • Successor is Sony RX100 II
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 Overview

Here, we are reviewing the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony RX100, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the RX100 (20MP) is very comparable but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and RX100 (1") provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 II was manufactured 2 years later than the RX100 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-M5 II grades vs the RX100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony RX100

 E-M5 II RX100 
IntroducedFebruary 2015August 2012Fresher by 30 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 RX100 E-M5 II 
Display resolution1229k1037kClearer display (+192k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony RX100

 E-M5 II RX100 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display measurements

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys 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) while the Sony RX100 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony RX100 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-M5 II against the RX100.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and RX100 is 80 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and RX100.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony RX100 will show more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images way more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 Portrait photography details
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
saves RAW files
64
has manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography features
Sony RX100 Street photography features
82
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
includes focus via touch
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
79
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (240 grams)
good high ISO (25,600)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography information
Sony RX100 Sports photography information
65
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
not so great battery (310 shots)
has no phase detect AF
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography info
Sony RX100 Travel photography info
74
weather sealing
includes focus via touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery (310 per charge)
79
lighter than competitors in class (240 grams)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Landscape photography with Sony RX100
74
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
not so great battery (310 CIPA)
74
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 as a Vlogging camera
82
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has mic jack
38
pretty wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (240 grams)
does not have selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony RX100
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Class Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Released 2015-02-06 2012-08-28
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 grams (1.03 lb) 240 grams (0.53 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 66
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 12.4
DXO Low light rating 896 390
Other
Battery life 310 pictures 330 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $699 $448