Olympus E-M5 Mark III vs Nikon D500

Camera to replace

Change

Olympus E-M5 III

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

CHECK PRICE

Change

Nikon D500

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

CHECK PRICE

Olympus E-M5 III vs Nikon D500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Olympus E-M5 III, which was introduced in October 2019 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Nikon D500, which was introduced in January 2016 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 21.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, D500 is 3 years older than E-M5 Mark III. 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. Fortunately, you can't go wrong with any of these cameras as we rank them amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Olympus E-M5 III is ranked #6 out of 48 Advanced Mirrorless cameras with an overall score of 77 whereas Nikon D500 is ranked #8 out of 92 Advanced DSLR cameras with an overall score of 83.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M5 III and Nikon D500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-M5 III Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2019-10-17

20MP - Four Thirds MOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fully Articulated Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

30.0 fps continuous shooting

4096 x 2160 video resolution

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

414g. 125 x 85 x 50 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Compare

Nikon D500 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2016-01-05

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

10.0 fps continuous shooting

3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

860g. 147 x 115 x 81 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Nikon D300s Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-M5 III and Nikon D500 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M5 III over Nikon D500

Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	All the lenses are stabilized
Continuous Shooting	30.0fps vs 10.0fps	20 fps faster
Weight	414 g vs 860 g	446 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	4096 x 2160 vs 3840 x 2160	Higher Resolution Video
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (50.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field

Reasons to choose Nikon D500 over Olympus OM-D E-M5 III

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	153 vs 121	32 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3.2" vs 3"	0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	2.359k dots vs 1.040k dots	126% higher resolution screen
Battery Life	1240 shots vs 310 shots	930 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Sensor Pixel Area	17.85µm² vs 11.22µm²	59% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Illuminated Buttons	Yes vs No	Find the buttons easily in dark
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	15 points vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters

Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Nikon D500

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection	Yes vs Yes	Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
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
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 2.359k dots	High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	30.0fps vs 10.0fps	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
Dual-axis Electronic Level	Yes vs Yes	Level the camera easily in two axis
Smartphone Remote Control	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Support for UHS Memory Cards	UHS-II vs UHS-II	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Nikon D500

Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Olympus E-M5 III vs Nikon D500: 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-M5 III and Nikon D500 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M5 III and Nikon D500. Olympus E-M5 III is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 22mm narrower, 30mm shorter and 31mm thinner than Nikon D500.

Here is the back view size comparison of Olympus E-M5 III and Nikon D500.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M5 III and Nikon D500.

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-M5 III is significantly lighter (446g ) than the Nikon D500 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 D500 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-M5 III has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-M5 III's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D500 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M5 Mark III

D500

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

E-M5 Mark III

D500

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both E-M5 Mark III and D500 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D500's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Olympus E-M5 III's 3" screen.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Nikon D500: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm ) sized MOS sensor and features TruePic VIII processor. On the other hand, Nikon D500 has a 21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D500'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-M5 Mark III and D500 sensor size comparison.

As seen above, Nikon D500 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-M5 III. 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 III and Nikon D500 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M5 III and Nikon D500 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 III for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Nikon D500 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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.4 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 III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D500 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 30.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
121 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
99 Cross Type Focus sensors
153 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1240 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 III for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon D500 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
414g
Body Thickness 50mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
860g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Olympus E-M5 III for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D500 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
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 D500 vs Olympus E-M5 III 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 D500 has an advantage over Olympus E-M5 III There are 308 lenses for Nikon D500's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 105 lenses for Olympus E-M5 III's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-M5 III 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 D500 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Olympus E-M5 III Lenses	# of Nikon D500 Lenses
Standard Zoom	15	33
Standard Prime	12	21
Wideangle Zoom	5	33
Wideangle Prime	29	48
Telephoto Zoom	17	53
Telephoto Prime	9	44
SuperZoom	8	30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	8
Macro Prime	4	26
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	11
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	105	308

Olympus E-M5 III vs Nikon D500: 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 III and Nikon D500, 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 III and Nikon D500 scores compare:

Olympus E-M5 III

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #28 out of 66 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #62 out of 1191 in all Cameras

Nikon D500

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #9 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #27 out of 1191 in all Cameras

Nikon D500 has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus E-M5 III and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Olympus E-M5 III

CHECK PRICE

Nikon D500

CHECK PRICE

Nikon D500 vs Olympus E-M5 III Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus OM-D E-M5 III	Nikon D500
Brand	Olympus	Nikon
Announced	2019-10-17	2016-01-05
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	MOS	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	-	1640000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	64 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	121	153
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses	105	308
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Tilting
Size	3"	3.2"
Resolution	1,040k dots	2,359k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution	2,360k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.68	0.66
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/32000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	1/250s	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	30.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	4096 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	414g	860g
Dimensions	125 x 85 x 50mm	147 x 115 x 81mm
Battery Life	310 shots	1240 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	84
DxO Color Depth	not tested	24.1
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	14.0
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	1324
	Report a correction	Report a correction