Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A57

Cameras
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Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A57

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4/3 224.9mm²
16.1 megapixels
ISO 200 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Olympus E-M5 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the E-M5.

APS-C 369.7mm²
16.1 megapixels
ISO 100 - 16,000

Go in depth with our full Sony A57 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the A57.

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Differences

Olympus E-M5 advantages over Sony A57

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Touchscreen
Touch vs No touch
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
More telephoto lens reach
100 mm vs 83 mm
Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
Thinner
43 mm vs 80 mm
Thinner
Higher max flash sync
1/250 vs 1/160 sec
Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
Wider angle kit lens
24 mm vs 27 mm
Capture more of the scene with the included lens
Longer exposure
60 vs 30 sec
Long exposures for night shots

Sony A57 advantages over Olympus E-M5

Less expensive
$800 vs $1300 (MSRP)
Save money for lenses or accessories
Focus peaking
Peaker vs Non-peaker
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Larger sensor
APS-C vs 4/3
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Bigger pixels
~ 4.82 vs 3.75 microns
Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
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

550 vs 360 shots
Capture more photos
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Shoots 24p video
Yes vs No
Gives your movies a big-screen feel
Higher-res screen
307k vs 205k pixels
More detail on the screen lets you judge focus and composition
Shoots 1080p video
Yes vs No
You'll want this if you shoot video
More viewfinder magnification
0.69x vs 0.58x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
Faster JPEG shooting
10.0 fps vs 8.9 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Both provide
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Tiltable Screen
Both provide
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Built-in Wi-Fi
Neither provide
Share your photos wirelessly
NFC
Neither provide
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
On-sensor phase detect
Neither provide
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Top deck display
Neither provide
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
External Mic Jack
Neither provide
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
Dual card slots
Neither provide
Gives you more storage flexibility
Headphone jack
Neither provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

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Buy the Olympus E-M5

Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 14-42mm Lens

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Sony A57

Review Excerpt

Attractive body design; Well-built, weather-sealed body; Excellent image quality; Excellent image stabilization; Very fast autofocus.
Exposure compensation dial changes easily; Small buttons; No in-camera chromatic aberration correction; Bundled flash is weak; Video compression artifacts with rapidly-moving subjects.
Read our Olympus E-M5 Review

We haven’t finished our review of the Sony A57, but we have extensive sample photos and a hands-on report.
See our Sony A57 First Shots

The Competition

Compared to Olympus E-M1

Olympus E-M5

Olympus E-M1

$900
4/3

Thinner
Shoots 60p video

$1099
4/3

Focus peaking
Fast startup

Compare Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-M1

Sony A57

Olympus E-M1

$800
APS-C

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$1099
4/3

Lens selection
Touchscreen

Compare Sony A57 vs Olympus E-M1

Compared to Nikon D5100

Olympus E-M5

Nikon D5100

$900
4/3

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Touchscreen

$650
APS-C

Less expensive
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Olympus E-M5 vs Nikon D5100

Sony A57

Nikon D5100

$800
APS-C

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$650
APS-C

Lens selection
Tilt-swivel screen

Compare Sony A57 vs Nikon D5100

Compared to Panasonic G3

Olympus E-M5

Panasonic G3

$900
4/3

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Higher effective ISO

$700
4/3

Less expensive
Internal flash

Compare Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic G3

Sony A57

Panasonic G3

$800
APS-C

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$700
4/3

Lens selection
Touchscreen

Compare Sony A57 vs Panasonic G3

Compared to Pentax K-5 IIs

Olympus E-M5

Pentax K-5 IIs

$900
4/3

Touchscreen
Tiltable Screen

$497
APS-C

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

Compare Olympus E-M5 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Sony A57

Pentax K-5 IIs

$800
APS-C

Less expensive
Focus peaking

$497
APS-C

Lens selection
Higher effective ISO

Compare Sony A57 vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Compared to Olympus E-P5

Olympus E-M5

Olympus E-P5

$900
4/3

Eye-level viewfinder
More telephoto lens reach

$1249
4/3

Focus peaking
Built-in Wi-Fi

Compare Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus E-P5

Sony A57

Olympus E-P5

$800
APS-C

Larger sensor
Less expensive

$1249
4/3

Lens selection
Touchscreen

Compare Sony A57 vs Olympus E-P5

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