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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 front
Portability
64
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Sony A560
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Replaced the Sony A500
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 Overview

Here, we are matching up the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A560, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the A560 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A560 (APS-C) provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 was manufactured 21 months after the A560 making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-M5 scores versus the A560 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A560

 E-M5 A560 
IntroducedApril 2012August 2010Newer by 21 months
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A560 over the Olympus E-M5

 A560 E-M5 
Display resolution922k610kCrisper display (+312k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A560

 E-M5 A560 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 has 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) whilst the Sony A560 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A560 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 against the A560.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and A560 is 81 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor dimensions only by researching technical specs. The pic here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and A560.

As you have seen, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Olympus E-M5 will result in more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images way more aggressively. The younger E-M5 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography features
Sony A560 Portrait photography features
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
delivers RAW files
72
has manual focus
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A560 as a Street photography camera
82
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
includes touch to focus
weather proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
75
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography advice
Sony A560 Sports photography advice
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
lack of phase detect auto focus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
better than average battery power (1,050 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A560 as a Travel photography camera
66
weather proofing
includes touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
missing Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
60
better than average battery power (1,050 CIPA)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Sony A560
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
missing Timelapse function
73
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (1,050 shots)
has double storage slots
does not have Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging factors
Sony A560 Vlogging factors
34
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone support
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic port
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A560 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony A560
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha DSLR-A560
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A560
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-04-30 2010-08-24
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 610k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lbs) 599 grams (1.32 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 70
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 12.3
DXO Low light rating 826 817
Other
Battery life 360 images 1050 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 Dual
Price at launch $799 $650