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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV 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
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Released July 2019
  • Superseded the Sony A7R III
  • Successor is Sony A7R V
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

In this article, we are comparing the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A7R IV, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A7R IV (Full frame) feature different sensor size.

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The E-M5 was unveiled 8 years before the A7R IV and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-M5 matches up vs the A7R IV when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A7R IV

 E-M5 A7R IV 

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Olympus E-M5

 A7R IV E-M5 
ReleasedJuly 2019April 2012More recent by 87 months
Display resolution1440k610kCrisper display (+830k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A7R IV

 E-M5 A7R IV 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 has got outer measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony A7R IV has specifications of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") with a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A7R IV in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 versus the A7R IV.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and A7R IV is 81 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements simply by going through specs. The photograph below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and A7R IV.

All in all, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A7R IV will provide more detail having an extra 45MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The older E-M5 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography factors
Sony A7R IV Portrait photography factors
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
88
has manual focus
MP count fantastic (61 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detect focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Sony A7R IV
82
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
weather proof
great ISO range (25,600)
79
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
weather proof
good ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Sony A7R IV
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
has no phase detect autofocus
90
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (61 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
weather proof
better than average battery (670 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Travel photography camera
66
weather proof
has focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
lack of Timelapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
74
better than average battery (670 shots)
weather proof
supports bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count fantastic (61MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Landscape photography camera
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
lack of Timelapse recording
88
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (61MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
good ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
better than average battery (670 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging features
Sony A7R IV Vlogging features
34
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone support
37
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic jack
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony A7R IV
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Class Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-04-30 2019-07-16
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 61MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 9504 x 6336
Max native ISO 25600 32000
Max boosted ISO - 102800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 100 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 567
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 610k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot 5,760k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs 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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 pounds) 665g (1.47 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 99
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 14.8
DXO Low light rating 826 3344
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 670 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots 1 Two
Retail pricing $799 $3,498