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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500 Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Olympus E-M10 IV

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

Olympus E-M10 IV
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Sony A500

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

Sony A500
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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Olympus E-M10 IV, which was introduced in August 2020 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Sony A500, which was introduced in August 2009 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 12.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, A500 is 11 years older than E-M10 IV. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 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 ( expands to 100 - 25600)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 8.7fps (15.0fps Electronic) 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

Sony A500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-08-27
  • 12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 630g. 137 x 104 x 84 mm

Sony A500 was replaced by Sony Alpha DSLR-A560. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 vs Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 vs Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV over Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Live Composite Mode
Yes vs No Excellent help for long-exposure photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnif.
0.62x vs 0.53x Larger Viewfinder
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 12 MP 66% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 12.800 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
121 vs 9 112 more focus points
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 230k dots 352% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting
15.0fps vs 5.0fps 10 fps faster
Weight
383 g vs 630 g 247 g lighter
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
CHECK E-M10 IV PRICE


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 over Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV
Battery Life
520 shots vs 360 shots 160 more frames with a single charge
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 7.2m 4.8m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
30.12µm2 vs 11.22µm2 168% larger pixel area
CHECK A500 PRICE

Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
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
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
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500: 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 Sony A500 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). Sony A500 has external dimensions of 137 x 104 x 84 mm (5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31″) and weighs 630 g (1.39 lb / 22.22 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500. Olympus E-M10 IV is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 15mm narrower, 20mm shorter and 35mm thinner than Sony A500.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500.
Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 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 significantly lighter (247g ) than the Sony A500 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 A500 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 Sony A500 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M10 IV
A500
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M10 IV
A500
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV nor Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

Both cameras feature Tilting screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels.
Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500: 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, Sony A500 has a 12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Olympus E-M10 IV's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A500'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-M10 IV and A500 sensor size comparison.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A500 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 Sony A500 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 Sony A500 has an advantage over Olympus E-M10 IV There are 143 lenses for Sony A500's Sony/Minolta Alpha mount, on the other hand there are only 120 lenses for Olympus E-M10 IV's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. E-M10 IV's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 4.5-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type # of Olympus E-M10 IV Lenses # of Sony A500 Lenses
Standard Zoom 18 20
Standard Prime 15 9
Wideangle Zoom 6 11
Wideangle Prime 32 18
Telephoto Zoom 19 26
Telephoto Prime 11 13
SuperZoom 8 19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 4
Macro Prime 4 12
Perspective Control Prime n/a 9
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 2
TOTAL 120 143


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Lens OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II
24 - 80mm 382gr 765gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM Lens Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
24 - 75mm 577gr 1207gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0 Lens Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0
70 - 200mm 1650gr 2033gr 214mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM Lens Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM
82.5 - 300mm 305gr 935gr 85mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus M 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M 25mm F1.8
50mm 136gr 519gr 41mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 35mm F1.4 G Lens Sony 35mm F1.4 G
35mm 510gr 1140gr 76mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14 - 28mm 534gr 917gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD Lens Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD
15 - 36mm 406gr 1036gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD
24 - 120mm 575gr 958gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Lens Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA
24 - 120mm 445gr 1075gr 83mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS Lens Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS
300 - 800mm 1850gr 2233gr 314mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II Lens Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II
70 - 400mm 1500gr 2130gr 196mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony A500 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

Sony A500 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
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 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A500 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
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 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A500 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.7fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
121 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Good Battery Life: 520 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
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 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
630g
Body Thickness 84mm
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A500 for Landscape Photography

POOR
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 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A500: 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 Sony A500, 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 Sony A500 scores compare:

Olympus E-M10 IV
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #77 out of 109 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #139 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Sony A500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #43 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #357 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Olympus E-M10 IV is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sony A500 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Olympus E-M10 IV
Olympus E-M10 IV
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Sony A500
Sony A500
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CHECK PRICE

Sony A500 vs Olympus E-M10 IV Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Brand Olympus Sony
Announced 2020-08-04 2009-08-27
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds APS-C
Dimensions 17.4 x 13 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 226.20mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 4272 x 2848
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 25600 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 200 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 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 120 143
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.62x 0.53x
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 Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 7.20 m (at ISO 200) 12.00 m
Max Flash Sync 1/250s 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 8.7 fps 5.0 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 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 383g 630g
Dimensions 122 x 84 x 49mm 137 x 104 x 84mm
Battery Life 360 shots 520 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 64
DxO Color Depth not tested 21.8
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 772
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