Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A580

Here is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A580, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 III was introduced 8 years later than the A580 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M5 III matches up against the A580 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery and Sony A580 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 III offers external dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Sony A580 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A580 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 III against the A580.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and A580 is 80 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing merely by viewing technical specs. The photograph underneath may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 III and A580.

As you have seen, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 III using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-M5 III will result in more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.