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Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500

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Olympus E-M5 II

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-M5 II
$1,099.00
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Nikon D7500

21 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D7500
$1,246.95
Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Olympus E-M5 II is a Semi-Pro Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Nikon D7500 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 21.0MP APS-C sensor.
Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious altenatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-M5 II Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2015-02-06
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3″ Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 469g. 124 x 85 x 45 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Olympus OM-D E-M5 Compare

Nikon D7500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-04-12
  • 21MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50-1640000)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.2″ Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 8.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 640g. 136 x 104 x 73 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D7200 Compare
Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M5 II over Nikon D7500
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Number of Focus Points 81 vs 51 30 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution 1.037k dots vs 922k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Max Shutter Speed 1/16000s vs 1/8000s faster shutter speed
Continuous Shooting 10.0fps vs 8.0fps 2 fps faster
Weight 469 g vs 640 g 171 g lighter
Price $1,099 vs $1,247 $148 cheaper
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High Resolution Mode Yes (40.0MP) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Focus Bracketing Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Reasons to choose Nikon D7500 over Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution 21 MP vs 16 MP 31% more pixels
Max ISO 51.200 vs 25.600 100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size 3.2″ vs 3″ 0.2 inches larger display
Battery Life 950 shots vs 310 shots 640 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port Yes vs No better video control
Color Depth 24.3 vs 23.0 higher color depth
Dynamic Range 14.0 vs 12.4 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO 1483 vs 896 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area 17.85µm2 vs 14.12µm2 26% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Bluetooth Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Autofocus at f/8 aperture Center point vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Nikon D7500
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Size 3″ vs 3.2″ Large display
Continuous Shooting 10.0fps vs 8.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Nikon D7500
Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500. Olympus E-M5 II is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 12mm narrower, 19mm shorter and 28mm thinner than Nikon D7500.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500.
Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-M5 II is significantly lighter (171g ) than the Nikon D7500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Nikon D7500 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-M5 II has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-M5 II's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D7500 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M5 II
D7500
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M5 II
D7500
Min
Average
Max
Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VII processor. On the other hand, Nikon D7500 has a 21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.

Nikon D7500's sensor provides 5MP more than Olympus E-M5 II's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D7500's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the E-M5 II and D7500 sensor size comparison.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Nikon D7500 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-M5 II. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Olympus E-M5 II for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Nikon D7500 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 II for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D7500 for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 II for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D7500 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/16000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
15 Cross Type Focus sensors
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 950 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 II for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon D7500 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
469g
Body Thickness 45mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
640g
Body Thickness 73mm
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 II for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D7500 for Landscape Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Nikon D7500 vs Olympus E-M5 II Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D7500 has an advantage over Olympus E-M5 II There are 286 lenses for Nikon D7500's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 92 lenses for Olympus E-M5 II's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-M5 II has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D7500 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 88 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Olympus E-M5 II Lenses # of Nikon D7500 Lenses
Standard Zoom 14 33
Standard Prime 11 18
Wideangle Zoom 4 30
Wideangle Prime 23 45
Telephoto Zoom 16 49
Telephoto Prime 8 40
SuperZoom 6 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 8
Macro Prime 4 22
Perspective Control Prime n/a 10
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 92 286
Olympus E-M5 II vs Nikon D7500: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Olympus E-M5 II and Nikon D7500 scores compare:

Olympus E-M5 II
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #15 out of 49 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #49 out of 1131 in all Cameras
Nikon D7500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #10 out of 92 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #23 out of 1131 in all Cameras

Nikon D7500 scores higher than the Olympus E-M5 II in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Olympus E-M5 II. On the other hand, Olympus E-M5 II is more portable and has more features than Nikon D7500.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Nikon D7500.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Olympus E-M5 II is the right choice for you.

Olympus E-M5 II
Olympus E-M5 II
$1,099.00

Nikon D7500
Nikon D7500
$1,246.95

Nikon D7500 vs Olympus E-M5 II Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Nikon D7500
Brand Olympus Nikon
Announced 2015-02-06 2017-04-12
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Price $1,099.00 $1,246.95
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds APS-C
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 23.5 x 15.7 mm
Area 224.90mm2 368.95mm2
Megapixels 16 megapixels 21 megapixels
Max Resolution 4608 x 3456 5568 x 3712
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 1640000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 100 ISO 50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 81 51
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 92 286
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Tilting
Size 3″ 3.2″
Resolution 1,037k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.74 0.63
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/16000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Digital only
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync no built-in flash 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Yes (Hot-shoe, Wireless plus sync connector)
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 469g 640g
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm 136 x 104 x 73mm
Battery Life 310 shots 950 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 73 86
DxO Color Depth 23.0 24.3
DxO Dynamic Range 12.4 14.0
DxO Low Light ISO 896 1483
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