Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58
57 Imaging
69 Features
88 Overall
76
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 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
- Revealed April 2012
- Later Model is Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
- Released December 2012
- Superseded the Sony A900
- New Model is Sony A99 II
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 Overview
Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) offer different sensor measurements.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe E-M5 was launched 7 months before the A99 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M5 matches up against the A99 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Sony SLT-A99. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Sony A99 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony A99
| E-M5 | A99 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus E-M5
| A99 | E-M5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | December 2012 | April 2012 | Fresher by 7 months | |
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen resolution | 1229k | 610k | Sharper screen (+619k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Take selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A99
| E-M5 | A99 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Dial accurate focusing | |||
| Screen size | 3" | 3" | Same screen measurements |
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 provides 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) while the Sony A99 has proportions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 vs the A99.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and A99 is 81 and 57 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing just by checking specs. The photograph underneath might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and A99.
All in all, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Sony A99 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-M5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A99 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony SLT-A99 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony SLT-A99 |
| Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Advanced DSLR |
| Revealed | 2012-04-30 | 2012-12-12 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Mid-size SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VI | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | Full frame |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 35.8 x 23.8mm |
| Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 852.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 25600 |
| Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW files | ||
| Lowest enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focus | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | 19 |
| Cross focus points | - | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Total lenses | 107 | 143 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fully Articulated |
| Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 610 thousand dot | 1,229 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch capability | ||
| Screen technology | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | TFT Xtra Fine color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dot | 2,359 thousand dot |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | 0.71x |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Continuous shutter speed | 9.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/250 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Mic input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 425 gr (0.94 lb) | 812 gr (1.79 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | 71 | 89 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | 25.0 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | 14.0 |
| DXO Low light score | 826 | 1555 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 360 images | 500 images |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLN-1 | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC |
| Storage slots | Single | Dual |
| Cost at release | $799 | $1,998 |