Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980
81 Imaging
52 Features
70 Overall
59
94 Imaging
35 Features
17 Overall
27
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(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
- Newer Model is Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 1280 x 720 video
- 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
- Introduced February 2009
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Overview
Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M5 and Sony S980, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and S980 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.
Google AI Gemini Could Enhance iPhone Experience, Talks SuggestThe E-M5 was launched 3 years after the S980 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.
Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-M5 grades against the S980 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony S980
E-M5 | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | April 2012 | February 2009 | More modern by 39 months | |
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
Display sizing | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
Display resolution | 610k | 230k | Sharper display (+380k dot) | |
Touch display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Olympus E-M5
S980 | E-M5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony S980
E-M5 | S980 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | Very exact focusing | |||
Selfie screen | Neither features selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 enjoys exterior measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-M5 and Sony S980 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 compared to the S980.
Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and S980 is 81 and 94 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it can be difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes simply by looking at specifications. The image below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and S980.
Plainly, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M5 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The newer E-M5 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony S980 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2012-04-30 | 2009-02-17 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic VI | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
Macro focus range | - | 10cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
Resolution of screen | 610 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen technology | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 seconds | 2 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 9.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.50 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/250 seconds | - |
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) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 425g (0.94 pounds) | 167g (0.37 pounds) |
Dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around 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 shots | - |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at launch | $799 | $300 |