EOS R1vs OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Canon
EOS R1 (2024)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View EOS R1
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?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
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 R1 (2024)
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
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 r1 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the om-d e-m5 mark ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £350 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 16.0MP |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 10fps |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 417g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | OM-D E-M5 Mark II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history