OM-D E-M5 Mark IIvs A7 III
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?
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The a7 iii 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) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £350 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 16.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF, face detection | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~310 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 417g (with battery and card) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | OM-D E-M5 Mark II | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Street | ||
| Macro | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Video | — |
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