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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A200
  • Replacement is Sony A290
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A230, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A230 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was announced 2 years later than the A230 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-M5 scores versus the A230 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A230

 E-M5 A230 
AnnouncedApril 2012May 2009More recent by 36 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution610k230kSharper screen (+380k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus E-M5

 A230 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A230

 E-M5 A230 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 has outside dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony A230 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A230 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 and the A230.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and A230 is 81 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The visual underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and A230.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-M5 will render more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 will have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography details
Sony A230 Portrait photography details
71
has manual focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
supports RAW files
54
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography info
Sony A230 Street photography info
82
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes touch focus
environment proof
good high ISO (25,600)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography factors
Sony A230 Sports photography factors
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
environment proof
lack of phase detect auto focus
46
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
bad battery life (230 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography information
Sony A230 Travel photography information
66
environment proof
includes touch focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
45
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery life (230 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Sony A230
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment proof
missing Timelapse recording
51
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
doesn't have liveview
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
bad battery life (230 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging highlights
Sony A230 Vlogging highlights
34
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone jack
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony A230
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-04-30 2009-05-18
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 610 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.55x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 9.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
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) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 lb) 490g (1.08 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 63
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 11.4
DXO Low light score 826 531
Other
Battery life 360 photos 230 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $799 $569