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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
58
Overall
53

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 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
  • Announced April 2012
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Sony A700
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 768g - 142 x 105 x 80mm
  • Introduced December 2007
  • Earlier Model is Konica Minolta 7D
  • New Model is Sony A77
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 Overview

Below is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A700 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A700 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was announced 4 years later than the A700 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-M5 grades versus the A700 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A700

 E-M5 A700 
IntroducedApril 2012December 2007More recent by 54 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A700 over the Olympus E-M5

 A700 E-M5 
Display resolution920k610kClearer display (+310k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A700

 E-M5 A700 
Manually focus More precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 has got outer dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony A700 has sizing of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") along with a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 against the A700.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and A700 is 81 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements only by going over technical specs. The visual below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and A700.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-M5 will offer more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 provides an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A700 as a Portrait photography camera
71
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
54
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography details
Sony A700 Street photography details
82
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
weather proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Sony A700
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
doesn't have phase detect AF
56
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
weather sealing
has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
max fps low (5.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5
Travel photography with Sony A700
66
weather proofing
boasts focus via touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
49
weather sealing
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5
Landscape photography with Sony A700
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
lack of Time Lapse mode
62
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
has double storage slots
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging features
Sony A700 Vlogging features
34
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic support
9
no video
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A700 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony A700
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
Type Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2012-04-30 2007-12-19
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
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 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 610k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.6x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, rear curtain, Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 grams (0.94 pounds) 768 grams (1.69 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 142 x 105 x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 71 66
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 11.9
DXO Low light score 826 581
Other
Battery life 360 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 2
Retail pricing $799 $1,000