Olympus E-M10 IV vs Nikon Z50 Comparison

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Olympus E-M10 IV

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon Z50

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

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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Nikon Z50 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing E-M10 IV and Z50, two Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras from Olympus and Nikon. Olympus E-M10 IV was introduced to market in August 2020 and Nikon Z50 was launched in October 2019. There is only 10 months difference between E-M10 IV and Z50 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-M10 IV Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2020-08-04

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Tilting Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

15.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

383g. 122 x 84 x 49 mm

Replaced Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Compare

Nikon Z50 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2019-10-10

21MP - APS-C BSI-CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 204800)

Nikon Z Mount

3.2 Tilting Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

11.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

397g. 127 x 94 x 60 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV over Nikon Z50

Live Composite Mode	Yes vs No	Excellent help for long-exposure photography
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Continuous Shooting	15.0fps vs 11.0fps	4 fps faster
Battery Life	360 shots vs 320 shots	40 more frames with a single charge
Weight	383 g vs 397 g	14 g lighter

Reasons to choose Nikon Z50 over Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV

Max Sensor Resolution	21 MP vs 20 MP	5% more pixels
Max ISO	51.200 vs 25.600	100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	209 vs 121	88 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3.2 vs 3"	0.2 inches larger display
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area	15.37µm² vs 11.22µm²	36% larger pixel area
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam
Eye Tracking Focus	Yes vs No	Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject

Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection	Yes vs Yes	Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Adjustable LCD Screen	Tilting vs Tilting	Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
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 (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 21 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 3.2	Large display
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 1.040k dots	High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	15.0fps vs 11.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie/Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs Yes	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs UHS-II	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Nikon Z50: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus E-M10 IV has external dimensions of 122 x 84 x 49 mm (4.8 x 3.31 x 1.93″) and weighs 383 g (0.84 lb / 13.51 oz) (including batteries). Nikon Z50 has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 60 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.36″) and weighs 397 g (0.88 lb / 14.00 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50. Olympus E-M10 IV is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 5mm narrower, 10mm shorter and 11mm thinner than Nikon Z50.

Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50.

Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50.

Top View Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-M10 IV is 14g lighter than the Nikon Z50 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 Z50 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-M10 IV has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-M10 IV's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon Z50 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-M10 IV

Z50

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-M10 IV

Z50

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of Z50, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to E-M10 IV.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon Z50's 3.2 LCD screen is slightly larger than Olympus E-M10 IV's 3" screen.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Nikon Z50: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VIII processor. On the other hand, Nikon Z50 has a 21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 6 processor.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon Z50's sensor doesn't have an 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-M10 IV and Z50 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon Z50 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-M10 IV. 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.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Nikon Z50 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-M10 IV has an advantage over Nikon Z50. There are 108 lenses for Olympus E-M10 IV's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 21 lenses for Nikon Z50's Nikon Z lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-M10 IV has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. E-M10 IV's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 4.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Nikon Z50 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 5 lenses for Nikon Z mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Olympus E-M10 IV Lenses	# of Nikon Z50 Lenses
Standard Zoom	15	4
Standard Prime	13	3
Wideangle Zoom	6	2
Wideangle Prime	29	5
Telephoto Zoom	18	2
Telephoto Prime	9	2
SuperZoom	8	1
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	n/a
Macro Prime	4	2
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	108	21

What types of Photography are Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 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-M10 IV for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Nikon Z50 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

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

Olympus E-M10 IV for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon Z50 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

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

Olympus E-M10 IV for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon Z50 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 15.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
121 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
209 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon Z50 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
383g
Body Thickness 49mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
397g
Body Thickness 60mm
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon Z50 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
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

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Nikon Z50: 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-M10 IV and Nikon Z50, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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-M10 IV and Nikon Z50 scores compare:

Olympus E-M10 IV

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #68 out of 90 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #145 out of 1230 in all Cameras

Nikon Z50

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #50 out of 90 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #92 out of 1230 in all Cameras

Nikon Z50 scores higher than the Olympus E-M10 IV in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Olympus E-M10 IV. On the other hand, Olympus E-M10 IV is more portable and has more features than Nikon Z50.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Nikon Z50.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Olympus E-M10 IV is the right choice for you.

Olympus E-M10 IV

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Nikon Z50

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Nikon Z50 vs Olympus E-M10 IV Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV	Nikon Z50
Brand	Olympus	Nikon
Announced	2020-08-04	2019-10-10
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	APS-C
Dimensions	17.4 x 13 mm	23.5 x 15.7 mm
Area	226.20mm²	368.95mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	21 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	5568 x 3712
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	25600 ISO	204800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	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	121	209
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Nikon Z
Number of Available Lenses	108	21
Screen
Type	Tilting	Tilting
Size	3"	3.2
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,360k dots	2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.62x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/16000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	7.20 m (at ISO 200)	7.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync	1/250s	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	15.0 fps	11.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	3840 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	383g	397g
Dimensions	122 x 84 x 49mm	127 x 94 x 60mm
Battery Life	360 shots	320 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction