Olympus E-M5 vs Sony WX500

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony WX500, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the WX500 (18MP) is very comparable but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and WX500 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was launched 3 years prior to the WX500 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-M5 scores versus the WX500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 features outside 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 WX500 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony WX500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M5 vs the WX500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and WX500 is 81 and 91 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes simply by going through technical specs. The picture underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and WX500.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony WX500 will show extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-M5 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.