• 4/3 224.9mm2
  • 16.1 megapixels
  • ISO 200 - 25,600
  • 35mm 861.6mm2
  • 42.4 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 32,000

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Differences

Olympus E-M10 advantages over Sony A7R III

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Fast startup
    ~1.30 vs 1.7 sec
    Faster startup lets you catch the moment
  • Internal flash
    Internal flash vs None
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • Thinner
    45 mm vs 73 mm
    Thinner
  • Longer exposure
    60 vs 30 sec
    Long exposures for night shots

Sony A7R III advantages over Olympus E-M10

  • Larger sensor
    35mm vs 4/3
    More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
  • Bigger pixels
    ~ 4.51 vs 3.75 microns
    Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
  • Shoot 4K video
    4K (UHD) vs 1080p
    Make sure you have a fast computer
  • High resolution composite
    Yes vs No
    Combine multiple shots to form a super hi-res version
  • NFC
    Yes vs No
    Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
  • Built-in Bluetooth
    Yes vs No
    Always-on wireless connectivity
  • Better color depth
    26.0 vs 22.8 bits
    Capture richer, more accurate colors
  • Higher effective ISO
    3,523 vs 884 iso
    Take photos in low light with less noise
  • More dynamic range
    14.7 vs 12.3 evs
    Retain detail in highlight and shadows
  • On-sensor phase detect
    Yes vs No
    Usually improves live view and video AF performance
  • Longer stills battery life
    More info 650 vs 320 shots
    Capture more photos
  • External Mic Jack
    Jack vs No jack
    Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
  • Newer
    6 years vs 10 years old
    Newer cameras often support more advanced features
  • Shoots 24p video
    Yes vs No
    Gives your movies a big-screen feel
  • More viewfinder magnification
    0.78x vs 0.58x
    Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
  • More pixels
    42.4 vs 16.1 megapixels
    Higher resolution photos
  • Shoots 60p video
    Yes vs No
    A faster framerate can give you more editing options
  • Dual card slots
    Yes vs No
    Gives you more storage flexibility
  • Headphone jack
    Yes vs No
    Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    9.9 fps vs 8.1 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    82 vs 19 shots
    Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
  • Faster RAW shooting
    9.2 fps vs 8.1 fps
    Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
  • Bigger RAW buffer
    30 vs 15 shots
    Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
  • Slow-motion videos
    Yes vs No
    Shoot slow-motion videos
  • Faster shutter
    1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
    Shoot wide open in bright light
  • Higher extended ISO
    102400 vs 25600 ISO
    Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

  • Focus peaking
    Both provide
    Your camera will highlight what's in focus
  • Eye-level viewfinder
    Both provide
    You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
    Both provide
    Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
  • Touchscreen
    Both provide
    Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
  • Tiltable Screen
    Both provide
    Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
    Both provide
    Share your photos wirelessly
  • HDMI out
    Both provide
    Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
  • Hot shoe
    Both provide
    Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
  • Bulb shutter
    Both provide
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

  • Tilt-swivel screen
    Neither provide
    Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
  • In-camera panoramas
    Neither provide
    Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
  • Built-in GPS
    Neither provide
    Geotag your photos
  • Top deck display
    Neither provide
    Check settings with a screen on top of the camera

User reviews

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Your purchases support this site

Buy the Olympus E-M10

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Sony A7R III

Review Excerpt

  • Great image quality especially from RAW files; Excellent dynamic range for a Four Thirds sensor; Very good high ISO performance; Realistic colors and excellent hue accuracy; Built-in Wi-Fi with remote control and sharing features; Improved HD video; Lightweight and very portable; Built-in pop-up flash; Minimal EVF lag time.

  • Contrast-Detect AF struggles with small and low-contrast subjects; Mediocre battery life; No external microphone or headphone jack; Mediocre burst speed with continuous AF; No weather sealing; Heavy-handed high ISO noise reduction.

  • Fantastic image quality; Improved dynamic range over its predecessor; Very good high ISO performance; Much improved real-world AF performance; Class-leading burst rates, even with RAW; Improved 5-axis in-body image stabilization; Better 4K video quality; 1080/120fps video; Dual card slots; Significantly better battery life.

  • Expensive; Menus still confusing; UHS-II support only on one card slot; No optical low-pass filter means greater risk of moire; No built-in flash; Buffer clearing still slow despite UHS-II support.

The Competition

Compared to Panasonic GX7

Olympus E-M10
Panasonic GX7
  • $399
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Higher effective ISO
  • $648
  • 4/3
  • In-camera panoramas
  • Fast startup
Sony A7R III
Panasonic GX7
  • $2248
  • 35mm
  • Larger sensor
  • Bigger pixels
  • $648
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • In-camera panoramas

Compared to Sony A7R II

Olympus E-M10
Sony A7R II
  • $399
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Touchscreen
  • $2898
  • 35mm
  • Larger sensor
  • Bigger pixels
Sony A7R III
Sony A7R II
  • $2248
  • 35mm
  • Less expensive
  • Touchscreen
  • $2898
  • 35mm
  • In-camera panoramas

Compared to Olympus E-M10 II

Olympus E-M10
Olympus E-M10 II
  • $399
  • 4/3
  • $349
  • 4/3
  • Fast startup
  • Shoots 24p video
Sony A7R III
Olympus E-M10 II
  • $2248
  • 35mm
  • Larger sensor
  • Bigger pixels
  • $349
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compared to Panasonic GX85

Olympus E-M10
Panasonic GX85
  • $399
  • 4/3
  • Higher effective ISO
  • More telephoto lens reach
  • $598
  • 4/3
  • Shoot 4K video
  • In-camera panoramas
Sony A7R III
Panasonic GX85
  • $2248
  • 35mm
  • Larger sensor
  • Bigger pixels
  • $598
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compared to Nikon Z7 II

Olympus E-M10
Nikon Z7 II
  • $399
  • 4/3
  • More telephoto lens reach
  • Internal flash
  • $2530
  • 35mm
  • Larger sensor
  • Bigger pixels
Sony A7R III
Nikon Z7 II
  • $2248
  • 35mm
  • Less expensive
  • High resolution composite
  • $2530
  • 35mm
  • Top deck display
  • Newer
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