Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


81 Imaging
69 Features
88 Overall
76
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed April 2012
- Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 51200)
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 396g - 120 x 67 x 59mm
- Released August 2019

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Overview
Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100, both Advanced Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A6100 (24MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A6100 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

The E-M5 was launched 8 years earlier than the A6100 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-M5 scores against the A6100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Sony Alpha a6100. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Sony A6100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A6100
E-M5 | A6100 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A6100 over the Olympus E-M5
A6100 | E-M5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | August 2019 | ![]() | April 2012 | More modern by 89 months |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 610k | Sharper screen (+312k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A6100
E-M5 | A6100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting screen |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen measurement |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Physical Comparison
In case you're going to carry around your camera, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 comes with external measurements 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 A6100 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 versus the A6100.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and A6100 is 81 and 81 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes only by going through specs. The picture here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and A6100.
All in all, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A6100 will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A6100 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony Alpha a6100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony Alpha a6100 |
Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Advanced Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2012-04-30 | 2019-08-28 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VI | Bionz X |
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 | 24 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6000 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 32000 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 51200 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Min enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 425 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Tilting | Tilting |
Display size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 610k dot | 922k 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 | 1,440k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.71x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 9.0fps | 11.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 6.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Flash off, auto, fill flash, slow sync, rear sync, wireless, hi-speed |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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) | Yes |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425 gr (0.94 lb) | 396 gr (0.87 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 120 x 67 x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 71 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 826 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 images | 420 images |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at release | $799 | $748 |