OM-D E-M5 Mark IIvs A6500
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Sony
A6500 (2016)
Starting from £649 new
Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography
View A6500
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Travel, Street & Versatile Everyday Photography — A6500 (2016): The first Sony APS-C with IBIS — the A6500 added in-body stabilisation, touch AF, and a far deeper buffer to the A6300's already strong formula.
Who should buy what
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
- Travel photographers wanting compact + weather sealing
- Outdoor and landscape shooters
- Micro Four Thirds system users
A6500 (2016)
- Travel photographers who want IBIS in a compact weather-sealed E-mount body
- A6300 owners who need the stabilisation or touch AF the A6300 lacked
- Street and documentary photographers who want a capable compact with weather sealing
- Sony E-mount shooters looking for a capable used body at an accessible price
Quick take: The a6500 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 | OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015) | A6500 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £350 | £649 |
| Sensor | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 16.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF, face detection | 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 11fps |
| Battery Life | ~310 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 417g (with battery and card) | 453g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | OM-D E-M5 Mark II | A6500 |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Street | ||
| Macro | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | ||
| Portrait | — |
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