CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
  • LENSES
  • TOOLS
    • Smart Find
    • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Size Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500

x
Camera to replace
Change

Olympus E-PM1

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

Olympus E-PM1
$349.97
Change

Sony A6500

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A6500
$1,298.00
Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras. Olympus E-PM1 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Sony A6500 has a 24.0MP APS-C sensor.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A6500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-PM1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-11-23
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3″ Fixed Type Screen
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 265g. 110 x 64 x 34 mm

Sony A6500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-10-06
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 51200)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3″ Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 11.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 453g. 120 x 67 x 53 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha a6300 Compare

Olympus E-PM1 was replaced by Olympus PEN E-PM2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus PEN E-PM2 vs Olympus PEN E-PM1
Olympus PEN E-PM2 vs Sony Alpha a6500

Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PM1 over Sony Alpha a6500
Weight 265 g vs 453 g 188 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area 18.45µm2 vs 15.28µm2 20% larger pixel area
Price $350 vs $1,298 $948 cheaper
Reasons to choose Sony Alpha a6500 over Olympus PEN E-PM1
Wireless Connection Yes vs None Better connectivity
Articulating Screen Yes vs No Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Touch Screen Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Electronic vs Electronic (Optional) Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution 24 MP vs 12 MP 100% more pixels
Max ISO 25.600 vs 12.800 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points 425 vs 35 390 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution 922k dots vs 460k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting 11.0fps vs 6.0fps 5 fps faster
Battery Life 350 shots vs 330 shots 20 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth 24.5 vs 21.0 higher color depth
Dynamic Range 13.7 vs 10.3 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO 1405 vs 499 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone_remote control Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Strengths of Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Sony Alpha a6500
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift All the lenses are stabilized
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Sony Alpha a6500
Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A6500. Olympus E-PM1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 10mm narrower, 3mm shorter and 19mm thinner than Sony A6500.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A6500.
Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500 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-PM1 is significantly lighter (188g ) than the Sony A6500 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 Sony A6500 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-PM1 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-PM1's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A6500 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-PM1
A6500
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-PM1
A6500
Min
Average
Max
Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor. On the other hand, Sony A6500 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Sony A6500's sensor provides 12MP more than Olympus E-PM1'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.

Below you can see the E-PM1 and A6500 sensor size comparison.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Sony A6500 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PM1. 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-PM1 and Sony A6500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A6500 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-PM1 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Sony A6500 for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus E-PM1 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A6500 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Olympus E-PM1 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A6500 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
425 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus E-PM1 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A6500 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
265g
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
453g
Body Thickness 53mm
Read the details

Olympus E-PM1 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A6500 for Landscape Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Sony A6500 vs Olympus E-PM1 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 Olympus E-PM1 has an advantage over Sony A6500. There are 92 lenses for Olympus E-PM1's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 83 lenses for Sony A6500's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A6500 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies.

Lens Type # of Olympus E-PM1 Lenses # of Sony A6500 Lenses
Standard Zoom 14 9
Standard Prime 11 13
Wideangle Zoom 4 4
Wideangle Prime 23 27
Telephoto Zoom 16 6
Telephoto Prime 8 10
SuperZoom 6 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 1
Macro Prime 4 4
Perspective Control Prime n/a 1
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 92 83
Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A6500: 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-PM1 and Sony A6500, 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-PM1 and Sony A6500 scores compare:

Olympus E-PM1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 114 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #288 out of 1131 in all Cameras
Sony A6500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #8 out of 114 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #61 out of 1131 in all Cameras

Sony A6500 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-PM1 in all criterias except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Olympus E-PM1. Otherwise, Sony A6500 is the better camera overall.

Olympus E-PM1
Olympus E-PM1
$349.97

Sony A6500
Sony A6500
$1,298.00

Sony A6500 vs Olympus E-PM1 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Olympus PEN E-PM1 Sony Alpha a6500
Brand Olympus Sony
Announced 2011-11-23 2016-10-06
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Price $349.97 $1,298.00
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds APS-C
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 224.90mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 51200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 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 35 425
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of Available Lenses 92 83
Screen
Type Fixed type Tilting
Size 3″ 3″
Resolution 460k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.7
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/160s n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 6.0 fps 11.0 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 AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Yes
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 265g 453g
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm 120 x 67 x 53mm
Battery Life 330 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 52 85
DxO Color Depth 21.0 24.5
DxO Dynamic Range 10.3 13.7
DxO Low Light ISO 499 1405
Report a correction Report a correction
LATEST DEALS!

Panasonic GX8 with 12-60mm and Freebies for $998
4TB Seagate Expansion Desktop External HDD USB 3.0 for $100
Olympus E-M1II with 12-40mm Lens - $300 Off
New Rebates on Sony Alpha A7 Series

  • See all Active Deals here


  • Most Popular Cameras
    Sony A7R II
    Sony A7R II
    42 MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | Sony E Mount
    Sony RX1R II
    Sony RX1R II
    42 MP | Full frame BSI-CMOS | 35 mm Lens
    Nikon D750
    Nikon D750
    24 MP | Full frame CMOS | Nikon F Mount
    Sony A6300
    Sony A6300
    24 MP | APS-C CMOS | Sony E (NEX) Mount
    Canon SX410 IS
    Canon SX410 IS
    20 MP | 1/2.3 CCD | 24-960 mm Lens
    Top Rated Mirrorless Cameras
    Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $500
    Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $750
    Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $1000
    Top Mirrorless Cameras Under $1500
    Copyright © 2017 by CameraDecision
    About Feedback Privacy

    Report a Correction