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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 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
  • Introduced April 2012
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Released January 2008
  • Later Model is Sony A330
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 Overview

Below is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A300, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A300 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was introduced 4 years later than the A300 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-M5 matches up against the A300 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A300

 E-M5 A300 
ReleasedApril 2012January 2008More recent by 52 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution610k230kClearer display (+380k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Olympus E-M5

 A300 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A300

 E-M5 A300 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 has got exterior measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony A300 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A300 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 compared to the A300.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and A300 is 81 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to picture the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and A300.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh trickier and the Olympus E-M5 will give extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography details
Sony A300 Portrait photography details
71
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW formats
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Sony A300
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
environment proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A300 as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
lack of phase detect auto focus
54
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A300 as a Travel photography camera
66
environment proof
supports touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
45
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (10MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Sony A300
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
no Time Lapse recording
57
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Sony A300
34
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external mic port
9
no video
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony A300
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-04-30 2008-01-30
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 610k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.49x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 9.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest 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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425g (0.94 lb) 632g (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 64
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 11.4
DXO Low light rating 826 538
Other
Battery life 360 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $799 $0