OM-D E-M5 Mark IIvs Sony A9 III
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 III
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.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
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
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Quick take: The sony a9 iii has the highest resolution at 25mp; 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) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £350 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | 16.0MP | 24.6MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF, face detection | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 10fps | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | ~310 shots (CIPA) | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 417g (with battery and card) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | OM-D E-M5 Mark II | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| 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