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Sony A7R III vs Olympus E-M1 Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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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 A7R III vs Olympus E-M1 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing A7R III and E-M1, two Pro Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Olympus. Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Olympus E-M1 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. Sony A7R III was introduced to market in October 2017 and Olympus E-M1 was launched in October 2013. As you can see, E-M1 is 4 years older than A7R III. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha 7R II Compare

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 A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV 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 A7R III

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III 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 A7R III over Olympus OM-D E-M1
Viewfinder Magnification
0.78x vs 0.74x Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 16 MP 162% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 25.600 25% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
425 vs 81 344 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.440k dots vs 1.037k dots 38% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
650 shots vs 350 shots 300 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Viewfinder Resolution
3686.4k dot vs 2360k dot 56% higher resolution
Color Depth
26.0 vs 23.0 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.7 vs 12.7 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3523 vs 757 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
20.43µm2 vs 14.12µm2 44% 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
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 150000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
425 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject


Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M1 over Sony Alpha A7R III
Weight
497 g vs 657 g 160 g lighter
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 A7R III and Olympus OM-D E-M1
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
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
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
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps 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
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 150000 cycles High Shutter Rating
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 A7R III and Olympus OM-D E-M1
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7R III 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 A7R III and Olympus E-M1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 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 A7R III and Olympus E-M1. Olympus E-M1 is 2mm shorter and 11mm thinner than Sony A7R III but it is also 3mm wider.

Sony A7R III vs Olympus E-M1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1.

Sony A7R III vs Olympus E-M1 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1.
Sony A7R III vs Olympus E-M1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7R III 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. Olympus E-M1 is significantly lighter (160g ) than the Sony A7R III 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 A7R III 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 A7R III lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7R III
E-M1
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7R III
E-M1
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7R III and E-M1 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III 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 A7R III vs Olympus E-M1: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-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.

Sony A7R III's sensor provides 26MP more than Olympus E-M1'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.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III's sensor lacks 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 A7R III and E-M1 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R III 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 A7R III 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, A7R III has scored 100, 27 points higher than E-M1.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7R III 100 26.0 bits 14.7 Evs 3523 ISO
Olympus E-M1 73 23.0 bits 12.7 Evs 757 ISO
Sony A7R III 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 A7R III has an advantage over Olympus E-M1. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7R III'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. Both Sony A7R III and Olympus E-M1 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. A7R III's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.0-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type # of Sony A7R III 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 A7R III 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 1543gr 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 2137gr 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 1435gr 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 1337gr 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 1320gr 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 2052gr 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 A7R III and Olympus E-M1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III 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 A7R III for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-M1 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
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 A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-M1 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
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 A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
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 A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-M1 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
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 A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-M1 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
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 A7R III 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 A7R III 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 A7R III and Olympus E-M1 scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #4 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #4 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 A7R III is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-M1 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Sony A7R III.

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Olympus E-M1
Olympus E-M1
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Olympus OM-D E-M1
Brand Sony Olympus
Announced 2017-10-25 2013-10-28
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Four Thirds
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 861.60mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 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 425 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 1,440k dots 1,037k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots 2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x 0.74x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/320s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 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 S H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 497g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 130 x 94 x 63mm
Battery Life 650 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 73
DxO Color Depth 26.0 23.0
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 12.7
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 757
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