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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV 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
  • Introduced April 2012
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed June 2015
  • Older Model is Sony RX100 III
  • Successor is Sony RX100 V
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the RX100 IV (20MP) is relatively comparable but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and RX100 IV (1") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was announced 4 years before the RX100 IV and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M5 scores against the RX100 IV with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony RX100 IV

 E-M5 RX100 IV 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 IV over the Olympus E-M5

 RX100 IV E-M5 
RevealedJune 2015April 2012Fresher by 37 months
Screen resolution1229k610kCrisper screen (+619k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony RX100 IV

 E-M5 RX100 IV 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 provides external dimensions 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 RX100 IV has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 versus the RX100 IV.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and RX100 IV is 81 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing specifications. The visual here should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and RX100 IV.

To sum up, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 IV will show more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-M5 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 IV
71
manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
65
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
good megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
offers face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5
Street photography with Sony RX100 IV
82
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes touch focus
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (298g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 IV as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
has no phase detect auto focus
68
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (16.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
offers tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 IV Travel photography info
66
weather proofing
includes touch focus
decent MP (16MP)
missing Timelapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
86
lighter than competitors in class (298 grams)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
relatively wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Landscape photography advice
Sony RX100 IV Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
missing Timelapse function
74
you can focus manually
relatively wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
delivers RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 IV Vlogging advice
34
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
missing microphone jack
81
relatively wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (298 grams)
lack of mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Sony RX100 IV
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Type Advanced Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-04-30 2015-06-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
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 surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Range of display Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 610 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames per sec 16.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/2000 secs
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) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 425 grams (0.94 lbs) 298 grams (0.66 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 70
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 12.6
DXO Low light rating 826 562
Other
Battery life 360 shots 280 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at release $799 $898