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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 II front
Portability
62
Imaging
66
Features
85
Overall
73

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced November 2011
  • New Model is Olympus E-PM2
Sony A77 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 647g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Released May 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A77
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A77 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and A77 II (24MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and A77 II (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was launched 3 years earlier than the A77 II which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A77 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PM1 grades versus the A77 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Sony A77 II

 E-PM1 A77 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A77 II over the Olympus E-PM1

 A77 II E-PM1 
ReleasedMay 2014November 2011Newer by 30 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k460kCrisper screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A77 II

 E-PM1 A77 II 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Physical Comparison

When you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM1 comes with outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Sony A77 II has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 647 grams (1.43 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A77 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PM1 and the A77 II.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and A77 II is 89 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions simply by researching technical specs. The image below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM1 and A77 II.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM1 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A77 II will render more detail utilizing its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-PM1 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography info
Sony A77 II Portrait photography info
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
79
you can focus manually
MP count good (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography highlights
Sony A77 II Street photography highlights
75
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
76
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography highlights
Sony A77 II Sports photography highlights
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (6.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not have phase detect autofocus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (480 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A77 II as a Travel photography camera
45
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
64
weather sealing
MP count good (24MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Timelapse function
not so great battery power (480 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography factors
Sony A77 II Landscape photography factors
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
low resolution sensor (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
not so great battery power (480 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging factors
Sony A77 II Vlogging factors
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone port
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A77 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A77 II
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Sony SLT-A77 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PM1 Sony SLT-A77 II
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-11-23 2014-05-21
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 100 50
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 35 79
Cross focus points - 15
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 6.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, fill, rear sync, slow sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160s 1/250s
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) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 265 grams (0.58 pounds) 647 grams (1.43 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 24.4
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 13.4
DXO Low light score 499 1013
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 480 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (Yes (2 or 12 sec))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $499 $1,198