Olympus E-M10 vs Sony A6000

Side-by-side specs, features and our lab-measured performance for the Olympus E-M10 and the Sony A6000.

Olympus E-M10

Compact System Camera · Released 2014 · 16.1 MP · 4/3

Read our review Compare with another camera

Sony A6000

Compact System Camera · Released 2014 · 24.3 MP · APS-C

Read our review Compare with another camera

Compare their image quality Open both cameras in the Comparometer: the same studio scenes, at every ISO, side by side.

Key differences

Why pick the Olympus E-M10

In-body image stabilisation
Starts up faster (lab tested): 1.3s vs 2.2s
Sharper screen: 1,037,000 dots vs 921,600 dots
Touchscreen
Costs less (street price when tested): $399 vs $548

Why pick the Sony A6000

More resolution: 24.3 MP vs 16.1 MP
Larger sensor: 366.6 mm² vs 224.9 mm²
Higher DxOMark sensor score: 82 vs 72
More dynamic range (DxOMark): 13.1 EV vs 12.3 EV
Faster continuous shooting: 11.1 fps vs 8.1 fps
Deeper RAW buffer: 22 frames vs 15 frames
Faster autofocus shutter lag (lab tested): 0.15s vs 0.23s
On-sensor phase-detect autofocus
Bigger viewfinder image: 0.7x vs 0.58x
Lighter: 468 g vs 515 g
Charges in-camera (USB)

Worked out from the spec sheets and our lab measurements. Image quality, handling and autofocus tracking are judged in the reviews.

Full specifications

Show differences only

Specification	Olympus E-M10	Sony A6000
Overview
Camera Format	Compact System Camera	Compact System Camera
Date Available	2014-03-15	2014-04-15
Currently Manufactured	No	Yes
Retail Price	$799.99	$799.99
Street Price	$399.00	$548.00
Weight	18.2 oz (515 g) includes batteries, kit lens	16.5 oz (468 g) includes batteries, kit lens
Size	4.7 x 3.2 x 1.8 in. (119 x 82 x 46 mm)	4.7 x 2.6 x 1.8 in. (120 x 67 x 45 mm)
Waterproof	No	No
Predecessor	–	Sony NEX-6
Successor	Olympus E-M10 II	Sony A6100
Sensor
Effective Megapixels	16.1	24.3
Sensor Format	4/3	APS-C
Sensor size	224.9mm2 (17.30mm x 13.00mm)	366.6mm2 (23.50mm x 15.60mm)
Sensor Type	Live MOS	CMOS
Sensor Manufacturer	–	Sony
Approximate Pixel Pitch	3.75 microns	3.92 microns
Focal Length Multiplier	2.0x	1.5x
Aspect Ratio	4:3	3:2
Anti Aliasing Filter	None	Fixed
Sensor shift image stabilization	Yes	No
Self-Cleaning	Yes	Yes
Image Resolution	4608 x 3456 (15.9 MP, 4:3), 3200 x 2400 (7.7 MP, 4:3), 1280 x 980 (1.3 MP, Other), 640 x 480 (0.3 MP, 4:3)	6000 x 4000 (24.0 MP, 3:2), 6000 x 3376 (20.3 MP, 16:9), 4240 x 2832 (12.0 MP, 3:2), 4240 x 2400 (10.2 MP, Other), 3008 x 2000 (6.0 MP, 3:2), 3008 x 1688 (5.1 MP, 16:9), 12416 x 1856 (23.0 MP, Other), 8192 x 1856 (15.2 MP, Other), 2160 x 5536 (12.0 MP, Other), 2160 x 3872 (8.4 MP, Other)
Image File Format	JPEG (EXIF 2.3), 12-bit RAW, RAW + JPEG	JPEG (EXIF 2.3), MPO (3D), RAW (compressed ARW 2.3), RAW+JPEG
RAW Capture Support	Yes	Yes
Sensor scores (DxOMark)
DxO Sensor Score	72	82
DxO Color Depth Score (bits)	22.8	24.1
DxO Dynamic Range Score (evs)	12.3	13.1
DxO Maximum Effective ISO Score (iso)	884	1,347
Autofocus
Auto Focus Type	High-speed Contrast-detect AF: 81-area multiple AF / All target, Group target area (9-area), Single target	Hybrid Contrast/Phase Detection: Wide (179 points phase-detection AF, 25 points contrast-detection AF), Zone, Center, Flexible Spot (Small / Medium / Large)
On-Sensor Phase Detect	No	Yes
Focus Peaking	Yes	Yes
Manual Focus	Yes	Yes
Auto Focus Assist Light?	Yes	Yes
Speed (Imaging Resource lab tests)
Continuous-mode frames/second	8.1	11.1
JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps, max resolution)	8.1	11.1
Buffer size for JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames, max resolution)	19	47
RAW shooting speed in burst mode (fps)	8.1	11.1
Buffer size for RAW shooting in burst mode (frames)	15	22
Shutter lag (full AF, wide/mid)	0.23 seconds	0.15 seconds
Shutter Lag (prefocused)	0.066 seconds	0.022 seconds
Shutter lag (full AF, with flash)	0.40 seconds	0.42 seconds
Startup Time	1.3 seconds	2.2 seconds
Play -> Record Time	0.6 seconds	0.8 seconds
Cycle time for JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per frame, max resolution)	0.56	0.51
Cycle time for RAW shooting in single shot mode (seconds per frame)	0.58	0.48
Flash cycle time, full power	3.5 seconds	2.3 seconds
Viewfinder and screen
Viewfinder	EVF / LCD	EVF / LCD
Viewfinder Type	EVF; 1.44M-dot, 100% coverage, 1.15x magnification, 20mm eyepoint, -4 to +2 diopter, eye sensor	EVF type; 1.0cm (0.39-inch) 1,440K-dot OLED, 100% coverage, 1.07x mag. (0.70x 35mm eq.), 23mm eyepoint, -4 to +3 diopter
EVF Resolution	1,440,000 dots	1,440,000 dots
Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent)	0.58x	0.70x
Rear Display Size (inches)	3.0	3.0
Rear Display Resolution	1,037,000 dots (345,600 px)	921,600 dots (307,200 px)
Touchscreen	Yes	No
Articulating Screen	Yes	Yes
Tilt Swivel Screen	No	No
Selfie Screen	No	No
Top Deck Display	No	No
Exposure
Minimum ISO (native)	200	100
Maximum ISO (native)	25600	25600
ISO Settings	AUTO: ISO Low (100) - 25600 (customizable, Default 200-1600) / Manual ISO Low (100) - 25600, 1/3 or 1 EV steps selectable	Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600; 51200 available with MFNR
Shutter Speed Range	1/4000 - 60 sec	1/4000 - 30 sec
Bulb Mode	Yes	Yes
Exposure Compensation	+/- 5.0EV in 0.3EV steps	+/- 5.0EV in 0.3EV steps
Metering Modes	Digital ESP metering (324-area multi pattern metering), Center weighted average metering, Spot metering, Spot metering with highlight control, Spot metering with shadow control	1200-zone Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot
White Balance Settings	Auto, Lamp, Fluorescent, Daylight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Custom WB, One-touch WB	Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent (Warm white/Cool white/Day white/Daylight), Flash, C. Temp 2500 to 9900K, C Filter G7 to M7 (15-step), Custom, AWB micro adjustment
Time Lapse (intervalometer)	Yes	–
High Resolution Composite	No	No
Self Timer	2, 10 seconds	2 , 10, 10 (3 or 5 frames) seconds
Creative Exposure Modes	Scene select AE (Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Sport, Hand-held Starlight1, Night scene, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Macro, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Conv., Wide Conv., Macro Conv., 3D2; 1 8 images automatically shot and combined into a single image composite, 2 3D lens(H-FT012 by Panasonic) only, still only.), Art Filter, Underwater wide / macro	Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Hand-held Twilight, Anti Motion Blur, HDR, Sweep Panorama
Video
Can take movies	Yes	Yes
Movie Resolution	1920x1080 (30p (24Mbps/16Mbps)) 1280x720 (30p (12Mbps/8Mbps)) 640x480 (30p)	1920x1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS or 60i/24Mbps/FX or 60i/17Mbps/FH or 24p/24Mbps/FX or 24p/17Mbps/FH) 1440x1080 (30p/12Mbps) 640x480 (30p/3Mbps)
Movie File Format	MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 with stereo sound), AVI (Motion JPEG)	AVCHD 2.0 / MP4; Audio :Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC; XAVC S format added in firmware v2.00
HD Video Out	Yes	Yes
HD Video Connection	HDMI	HDMI
Microphone Jack	No	No
Headphone Jack	No	No
Lens
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Sony E
Lens	Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R	Sony SELP1650 PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS; 9 elements in 8 groups, 4 aspheric surfaces
Focal Length (35mm equivalent)	28 - 84mm	24 - 75mm
Focal Length (actual)	14 - 42mm	16 - 50mm
Zoom Ratio	3.00x	3.13x
Aperture Range	f/3.5 (wide) / f/5.6 (tele) - f/22; 7 diaphragm blades (circular)	f/3.5 - f/22 (W) / f/5.6 - f/36 (T); 7-blade circular aperture
Optical Image Stabilization	No	Yes
Filter Thread	37.0mm	40.5mm
Digital Zoom	Yes	Yes
Flash
Built-in Flash	Yes	Yes
Flash Guide Number (ISO 100)	5.8 m / 19.0 ft.	6.0 m / 19.7 ft.
Max Flash Sync	1/250s Built-in Flash, 1/200s External Flash; FL-50R: 1/180s	1/160
Flash Exposure Compensation	+/- 3.0 EV in 0.3EV steps	+/- 3.0 EV in 0.3EV steps
External Flash Connection	Hot Shoe	Multi Interface Shoe
Built-In Wireless Flash Control	Full TTL exposure	No
Storage and connectivity
Usable Memory Types	SD / SDHC / SDXC	MS PRO Duo / SD / SDHC / SDXC
UHS Support	UHS-I	UHS-I
Dual Card Slots	No	No
Built-In Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth	No	No
NFC	No	Yes
Built-In GPS	No	No
External Connections	USB 2.0 High Speed,WiFi	USB 2.0 High Speed,WiFi
Remote Control	Yes	Yes
Remote Control Type	Via Wi-Fi or optional Remote Cable RM-UC1	Optional wired, IR or Wi-FI
Battery
Battery Life, Still (CIPA Rating OVF/EVF)	–	310 shots
Battery Form Factor	Proprietary BLS-5	Proprietary NP-FW50
Usable Battery Types	Lithium-ion rechargeable	Lithium-ion rechargeable
Internal Charging Supported	No	Yes
Battery Charger Included (dedicated charger or AC/USB adapter)	Yes	Yes
Other
Tripod Mount	Yes	Yes
Color Filter Type	RGBG	RGBG
Composite Video Out	Yes	No
NTSC/PAL Switchable Video	Yes	–
Video Usable as Viewfinder	No	–
Integrated ND Filter	No	No
Normal Focus Range	25 cm to Infinity 9.8 in to Infinity	25 cm to Infinity 9.8 in to Infinity
Digital Zoom Values	2x	Up to 4x; up to 2x Clear Image Digital Zoom
Auto Focus	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder Magnification (nominal/claimed)	1.15x	1.07x
Eye-level Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Rear Display	Yes	Yes
Max Playback Zoom	14.0x	16.7x
Auto ISO Mode	Yes	Yes
Program Auto Exposure	Yes	Yes
Aperture Priority	Yes	Yes
Shutter Priority	Yes	Yes
Full Manual Exposure	Yes	Yes
Flash Modes	Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual（1/1 (FULL) - 1/64); Supports Olympus RC wireless system	Auto, Off, Fill-flash, Rear sync, Slow sync, Red-eye reduction: On/Off
Flash Range Description	GN=5.8 (ISO100, m) / GN= 8.2 (ISO200, m)	Lens dependent
Uncompressed Format	12-bit RAW, RAW + JPEG	RAW (compressed ARW 2.3), RAW+JPEG
Included Memory	No memory included	No memory included
PictBridge Compliant	Yes	Yes
DPOF Compliant	Yes	Yes
Connections (extended)	Micro HDMI (Type-D), combined AV/USB/remote connector	Micro (Type-D) HDMI, Multi Interface Shoe, Multi Micro USB
Buffer size for RAW shooting in single shot mode (frames)	Unlimited	Unlimited
Cycle time for RAW+JPEG shooting in single shot mode (seconds per shot)	0.63	0.44
Camera penalizes early shutter press?	No	No
RAW+JPEG shooting speed in burst mode (fps)	8.1	11.1
Buffer Size for RAW+JPEG shooting in burst mode (frames)	10	21
Shutter Lag (manual focus)	0.096 seconds	0.143 seconds
Shutter Lag (notes)	Full AF lag, Wide-area mode = 0.245s	Full AF lag, Multi-area AF mode = 0.151s
Battery Life, Stills (CIPA Rating Monitor/Live View)	320 shots	360 shots
Batteries Included	1 x Proprietary BLS-5 Lithium-ion rechargeable	1 x Proprietary NP-FW50 Lithium-ion rechargeable
Dedicated Battery Charger Included	Yes	No
Included Software	Olympus Viewer 3 CD-ROM	Software CD-ROM (Image Data Converter 4, Remote Camera Control, PlayMemories Home)
Alternate Model Number(s)	–	ILCE-6000
OS Compatibility	–	Windows Vista SP2/7 SP1/8, Mac OS X v10.6-10.8

Highlighted cells mark the better figure where one is clearly better. Timings and buffer depths come from our lab tests; DxOMark scores are DxOMark's own.

Olympus E-M10 highlights

Available in black or silver.

Sony A6000 highlights

Bionz X image processor, Fast Hybrid AF (179 PDAF and 25 CDAF points), Full HD 1080p60 movies, 11 fps burst mode, Wi-Fi with NFC, clean HDMI output