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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Olympus E-M1

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

Olympus E-M1
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Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing A7S and E-M1, two Pro Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Olympus. Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Olympus E-M1 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Olympus E-M1 was launched in October 2013. There is only 5 months difference between A7S and E-M1 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 Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-M1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-10-28
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 497g. 130 x 94 x 63 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus E-M1 was replaced by Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II vs Olympus OM-D E-M1
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Olympus OM-D E-M1
Max ISO
409.600 vs 25.600 1500% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 1.037k dots 18% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
360 shots vs 350 shots 10 more frames with a single charge
Weight
489 g vs 497 g 8 g lighter
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Color Depth
23.9 vs 23.0 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.2 vs 12.7 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 757 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 14.12µm2 404% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices


Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M1 over Sony Alpha A7S
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.74x vs 0.71x Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
81 vs 25 56 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 5.0fps 5 fps faster
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution
2360k dot vs 2359k dot 0% higher resolution
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
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus OM-D E-M1
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Tilting Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
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
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
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
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Olympus OM-D E-M1
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1: 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 Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-M1 has external dimensions of 130 x 94 x 63 mm (5.13 x 3.68 x 2.48″) and weighs 497 g (1.10 lb / 17.53 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1. Sony A7S is 3mm narrower and 15mm thinner than Sony A7S but they have the same height of 94mm.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1.
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is 8g lighter than the Olympus E-M1 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 Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Olympus E-M1 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-M1's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
E-M1
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
E-M1
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and E-M1 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

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.
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-M1 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePIC VII processor.

Below you can see the A7S and E-M1 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-M1. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 14 points higher than E-M1.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Olympus E-M1 73 23.0 bits 12.7 Evs 757 ISO
Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1 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 A7S has an advantage over Olympus E-M1. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 107 lenses for Olympus E-M1's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-M1 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, Sony A7S doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Olympus E-M1 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 15
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 13
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 5
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 29
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 18
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 9
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 5
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 4
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 107


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1375gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
24 - 80mm 382gr 879gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 1969gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0 Lens Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0
70 - 200mm 1650gr 2147gr 214mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1267gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M 25mm F1.8
50mm 136gr 633gr 41mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1169gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14 - 28mm 534gr 1031gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1152gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD
24 - 120mm 575gr 1072gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 1884gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS Lens Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS
300mm 1850gr 2347gr mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 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.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
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

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-M1 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
497g
Body Thickness 63mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-M1 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Olympus E-M1: 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 Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1, 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 Sony A7S and Olympus E-M1 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-M1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #50 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #101 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus E-M1 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Olympus E-M1
Olympus E-M1
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Olympus OM-D E-M1
Brand Sony Olympus
Announced 2014-04-06 2013-10-28
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Four Thirds
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 855.62mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 25,600 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 25 81
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 128 107
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 1,037k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots 2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x 0.74x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/320s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 497g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 130 x 94 x 63mm
Battery Life 360 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 73
DxO Color Depth 23.9 23.0
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 12.7
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 757
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