Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A55

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A55, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 III was unveiled 9 years later than the A55 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M5 III scores against the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery and Sony A55 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III provides physical measurements 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 A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A55 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 III vs the A55.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 III and A55 is 80 and 67 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 III and A55.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 III using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-M5 III will offer you greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 III should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.