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Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Samsung SL820 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Introduced October 2019
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Updated by OM System OM-5
Samsung SL820
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.4-5.8) lens
  • 168g - 95 x 59 x 23mm
  • Released February 2009
  • Additionally referred to as IT100
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Overview

Following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-M5 III versus Samsung SL820, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Samsung. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and SL820 (12MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and SL820 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 III was launched 10 years after the SL820 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Samsung SL820 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-M5 III grades against the SL820 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Samsung SL820

 E-M5 III SL820 
ReleasedOctober 2019February 2009More modern by 130 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Samsung SL820 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 SL820 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Samsung SL820

 E-M5 III SL820 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display dimensions

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III provides external dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Samsung SL820 has dimensions of 95mm x 59mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 168 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 III versus Samsung SL820 in the new Camera and 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 select at the time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 III and the SL820.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 III and SL820 is 80 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes merely by reading specifications. The picture here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 III and SL820.

Plainly, the 2 cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 III because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 III will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 III provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography highlights
Samsung SL820 Portrait photography highlights
77
focusing manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW files
26
includes face detection focusing
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Street photography with Samsung SL820
83
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
offers focus by touch
weather proof
above average high ISO (25,600)
47
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography info
Samsung SL820 Sports photography info
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (30.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery pack (310 CIPA)
17
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography advice
Samsung SL820 Travel photography advice
77
weather proof
supports bluetooth
offers focus by touch
MP count good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
not so great battery pack (310 per charge)
57
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Landscape photography camera
Samsung SL820 as a Landscape photography camera
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery pack (310 shots)
32
fairly wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.4)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging features
Samsung SL820 Vlogging features
84
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes external microphone socket
28
fairly wide (28mm)
includes face detection focusing
slow max aperture (f3.4)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Samsung SL820 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Samsung SL820
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIISamsung SL820
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Samsung
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Samsung SL820
Also referred to as - IT100
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2019-10-17 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.4-5.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting speed 30.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.50 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Auto & Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash, Flash Off, Red-Eye Fix
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 grams (0.91 lbs) 168 grams (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 95 x 59 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 310 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $1,199 $280