Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D500

Nikon D500 advantages over Olympus E-M5 II

• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 4/3
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Shoot 4K video
  4K (UHD) vs 1080p
  Make sure you have a fast computer
• Fast startup
  ~0.30 vs 0.8 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• NFC
  Yes vs No
  Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
• Built-in Bluetooth
  Yes vs No
  Always-on wireless connectivity
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D500 test data on DxO Mark E-M5 II test data on DxO Mark
  1,324 vs 908 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D500 test data on DxO Mark E-M5 II test data on DxO Mark
  14.0 vs 12.4 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  1240 vs 310 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• Higher-res screen
  590k vs 346k pixels
  More detail on the screen lets you judge focus and composition
• More pixels
  20.9 vs 16.1 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  200 vs 18 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Bigger RAW buffer
  200 vs 13 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  1638400 vs 25600 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility