EOS Mvs OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Canon Mirrorless History & Ef-M Collectors — EOS M (2012): Canon's first mirrorless — a historic body that broke new ground with touch-AF and EF-M, but its sluggish contrast-detect system quickly became its Achilles heel.
Travel & Landscape — OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015): The E-M5 II was the benchmark weather-sealed travel camera of its generation. The 16MP sensor is modest by today's standards but excellent in practice, and the 5-axis IBIS is genuinely useful. Weather sealing, a flip screen, and a high-res composite mode make it a practical companion. A highly capable used-market buy for travel and outdoor photographers who don't need the latest resolution numbers.
Who should buy what
EOS M (2012)
- Canon shooters who want the camera that started Canon's mirrorless story
- Budget first-time mirrorless buyers who already own EF/EF-S glass
- Collectors of significant digital camera milestones
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
- Travel photographers wanting compact + weather sealing
- Outdoor and landscape shooters
- Micro Four Thirds system users
Quick take: The eos m has the highest resolution at 18mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the om-d e-m5 mark ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £350 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 16.0MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | Contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 10fps |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 417g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | OM-D E-M5 Mark II |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history