OM-D E-M5 Mark IIvs A7R II
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R 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.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
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
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The a7r ii has the highest resolution at 42mp; 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) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £350 | £799 |
| Sensor | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | 16.0MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF, face detection | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~310 shots (CIPA) | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 417g (with battery and card) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | OM-D E-M5 Mark II | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Street | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Architecture | — |
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