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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Olympus SP-590 UZ front
Portability
72
Imaging
34
Features
38
Overall
35

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
Olympus SP-590 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Revealed January 2009
  • New Model is Olympus SP-600 UZ
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus SP-590 UZ, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are created by Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and SP-590 UZ (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was manufactured 3 years after the SP-590 UZ which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-M5 scores versus the SP-590 UZ in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Olympus SP-590 UZ

 E-M5 SP-590 UZ 
RevealedApril 2012January 2009More modern by 41 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kCrisper screen (+380k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-590 UZ over the Olympus E-M5

 SP-590 UZ E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Olympus SP-590 UZ

 E-M5 SP-590 UZ 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 has external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus SP-590 UZ has sizing of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") along with a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus SP-590 UZ in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 versus the SP-590 UZ.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and SP-590 UZ is 81 and 72 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very hard to see the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The picture below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and SP-590 UZ.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M5 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Portrait photography camera
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
36
you can focus manually
supports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography information
Olympus SP-590 UZ Street photography information
82
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports focus via touch
environment proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
59
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Olympus SP-590 UZ
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
does not have phase detect AF
38
amazing zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proof
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography information
Olympus SP-590 UZ Travel photography information
66
environment proofing
supports focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
58
weather proof
built-in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
very long reach (676mm)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography advice
Olympus SP-590 UZ Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
45
you can focus manually
relatively wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging features
Olympus SP-590 UZ Vlogging features
34
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic port
24
relatively wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have mic socket
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Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Olympus SP-590 UZ
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Olympus SP-590 UZ
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus SP-590 UZ
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-04-30 2009-01-07
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 3968 x 2976
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 64
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-676mm (26.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.0
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 610 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 15 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 9.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 8.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lb) 413 grams (0.91 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 or 2 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $799 $249