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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV front
Portability
52
Imaging
53
Features
82
Overall
64

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV 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
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
Sony RX10 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1095g - 133 x 94 x 145mm
  • Released September 2017
  • Succeeded the Sony RX10 III
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV Overview

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the RX10 IV (20MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and RX10 IV (1") feature different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 was manufactured 6 years prior to the RX10 IV and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-M5 scores vs the RX10 IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony RX10 IV

 E-M5 RX10 IV 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 IV over the Olympus E-M5

 RX10 IV E-M5 
ReleasedSeptember 2017April 2012More recent by 65 months
Display resolution1440k610kCrisper display (+830k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony RX10 IV

 E-M5 RX10 IV 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Easily navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 has outside measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 IV has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") having a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 vs the RX10 IV.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and RX10 IV is 81 and 52 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The graphic below should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and RX10 IV.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony RX10 IV will give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-M5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX10 IV Portrait photography advice
71
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
71
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
features face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography details
Sony RX10 IV Street photography details
82
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch focus
weather sealing
great high ISO (25,600)
64
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
boasts focus by touch
environment proofing
heavier than competitors (1,095 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography highlights
Sony RX10 IV Sports photography highlights
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
does not have phase detect auto focus
76
amazing zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (24.0 fps)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
features tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 IV as a Travel photography camera
66
weather sealing
has touch focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
no Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
56
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
long zoom (600mm)
no Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors (1,095g)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography features
Sony RX10 IV Landscape photography features
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
no Timelapse mode
62
focusing manually
pretty wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging advice
Sony RX10 IV Vlogging advice
34
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external microphone support
29
pretty wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes mic port
sluggish max aperture (f2.4)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
heavier than competitors (1,095 grams)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX10 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony RX10 IV
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
Category Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-04-30 2017-09-12
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW photos
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 35 315
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-600mm (25.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.4-4.0
Macro focus range - 3cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 610 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames per sec 24.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lb) 1095 grams (2.41 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 133 x 94 x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7")
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 photos 400 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $799 $1,698