Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980
80 Imaging
53 Features
84 Overall
65


94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed February 2015
- Replaced the Olympus E-M5
- Updated by Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Introduced February 2009

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Overview
Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and S980 (12MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and S980 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

The E-M5 II was released 6 years after the S980 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.
Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-M5 II matches up against the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony S980
E-M5 II | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | February 2015 | ![]() | February 2009 | Newer by 73 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+807k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Olympus E-M5 II
S980 | E-M5 II |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony S980
E-M5 II | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing |
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 II features outside measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 II vs the S980.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and S980 is 80 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions just by seeing technical specs. The picture here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and S980.
As you have seen, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II because of its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 II will provide greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-M5 II will have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony S980 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2015-02-06 | 2009-02-17 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VII | - |
Sensor type | MOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 81 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
Macro focus distance | - | 10cm |
Available lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 2.7 inch |
Resolution of screen | 1,037k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 2 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Maximum silent shutter speed | 1/16000 seconds | - |
Continuous shooting rate | 10.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.50 m |
Flash settings | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/250 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 469g (1.03 pounds) | 167g (0.37 pounds) |
Dimensions | 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
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 | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $699 | $300 |