Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II vs. Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

Side by side comparison and review of Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500. Compare design, sensors, zoom functions, batteries and other key specifications and features to simplify the choice of your perfect digital camera. Our goal is to make it easier for you to decide on the camera that will best meet your expectations by revealing the main differences between the products.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II vs. Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Product Type Digital camera - mirrorless system Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 8.5 cm 6.69 cm
Width 12.37 cm 12 cm
Depth 3.8 cm 5.33 cm
Weight 417 g 453 g
Weight Details - Camera with battery and memory card: 453 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy Magnesium alloy
Enclosure Colour Black | Silver -
Protection Weatherproof, splashproof, dust-resistant Dust-resistant, moisture-resistant
Digital Zoom - 4x
SENSOR Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Sensor Resolution 16.05 Megapixel 24.2 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type Live MOS Exmor CMOS
Total Pixels 17,200,000 pixels 25,000,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 16,050,000 pixels 24,200,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size Four Thirds (4/3") APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm)
Frame Rate (Max Resolution) - 30 fps
Sensor Dust Reduction Yes Yes
Sensor Features Supersonic Wave Filter (SWF) Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), Anti-Dust coating
Image Stabiliser Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism) Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism)
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes Yes
Sensors Digital level metre Digital level metre
PROCESSOR Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Image Processor TruePic VII BIONZ X
LENS Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Lens Mounting Type Micro Four Thirds Sony E-mount
FOCUSING Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 81 425
Auto Focus Features Focus Peaking function, Manual Focus Check Live View Focus Peaking function, Predictive Focus Control
AE/AF Control Subject-tracking AF, Eye detection AF -
Face Detection Eye Detect AF Smile Shutter
VIEWFINDER Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Viewfinder Type Built-in - electronic Electronic - OLED
Viewfinder Colour Support Colour Colour
Viewfinder Diagonal Size - 0.39"
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360,000 pixels 2,359,296 pixels
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 100%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 1.48x 1.07x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -4 to +2 -4 to +3
Viewfinder Information Shutter speed, exposure compensation, AF-in-focus, aperture, frame counter, white balance, metering system, Exposure Mode, exposure bracketing, battery status, AF lock -
Field of View Crop Factor 2 1.5
Features - Viewfinder brightness control, colour temperature control
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
ISO (Max) 25600 51200
Native ISO 100-25600 100-6400
Extended ISO (Max) - 25600
Light Sensitivity ISO 100, ISO auto (100-25600), ISO 200-25600 ISO 51200, ISO auto (100-6400), ISO 100-25600
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot Spot, average, highlight spot
Exposure Metering Zones 324 1200
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority
Bracketing Modes Art Filter bracketing, ISO sensitivity bracketing, Shadow Adjustment Technology, Flash Exposure Bracketing Dynamic Range Bracketing, Flash Exposure Bracketing, white balance bracketing
Shooting Programs Landscape, portrait mode, macro, beach/snow, landscape-portrait, Children, fireworks, 3D image, multiple exposure, panorama assist, night scene, panning, sports mode, sunset, candle, high key, night scene with portrait, low key, documents, nature macro, e-portrait, fisheye converter, wide converter, macro converter, handheld starlight, digital IS Landscape, portrait mode, macro, night portrait, night scene, sports mode, sunset, handheld twilight, anti-motion blur
Special Effects Art, Black & White, Sepia, Monotone, Black & White Red filter, Black & White Yellow filter, Vivid, purple, blue, green, soft focus, natural, Black & White Green filter, Muted, portrait, Diorama, Cross Process, composite, partial colour, Grainy Film, Light Tone, Pop Art, Pale & Light Colour, pin hole, Gentle Sepia, i-Enhance, Dramatic Tone, Key Line, Vintage Black & White, Sepia, Neutral, Vivid, sunset, soft focus, illustration, landscape, portrait, Water Colour, miniature, clear, deep, light, autumn leaves, Retro, partial colour, Toy camera, Posterisation, High contrast monochrome, Pop Colour, HDR Painting, Rich-tone monochrome, Soft High-key, Night Scene, Standard, Style Box
White Balance Custom, automatic, presets Custom, automatic, presets
White Balance Presets Fluorescent, sunlight, tungsten light, Flash, shade, overcast, Underwater, 2000K - 14000K Incandescent, cloudy, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Underwater, 2500K - 9900K, fluorescent light (daylight white)
Shutter Type Mechanical Mechanical electronically-controlled
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000 sec 1/4000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 60 sec 30 sec
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 2, 3, 5 steps in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps 3, 5, 9 steps in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2 or 3 EV steps
White Balance Bracketing Yes Yes
X-sync Speed 1/250sec, 1/8000 sec 1/160 sec
Exposure Range EV -2-20 (ISO 100) EV -2-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Type 3" LCD display 3" LCD display
Touch Screen Yes Yes
Display Format 1,037,000 pixels 921,600 pixels
Display Form Factor Folding Built-in
Display Features Display brightness control, display colour control, Touch AF Display brightness control
FLASH Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Camera Flash Detachable flash Pop-up flash
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 12.9 6
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction, slow sync
Red-Eye Reduction Yes Yes
Features AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control, flash exposure bracketing AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control, high-speed synchronization (HSS)
External Flash Name Olympus FL-LM3 -
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG, H.264, MOV AVCHD, H.264, XAVC S
Image Recording Format JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG, MPO JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160
Audio Signal Format - Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel), Linear PCM, AAC
Surround Sound - Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording
Microphone Operation Mode Stereo Stereo
Microphone Features Wind noise reduction, sensitivity control -
MEMORY Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Memory Card Slot SD card Memory Stick PRO Duo card, SD card
Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SD Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO Duo, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
Memory Card Included No No
Image Storage RAW 4608 x 3456 - 17 MB
JPEG 4608 x 3456 - 7.5 MB
JPEG 4608 x 3456 - 3.5 MB
JPEG 3200 x 2400 - 1.7 MB
JPEG 1280 x 960 - 0.4 MB
6000 x 4000
4240 x 2832
3008 x 2000
6000 x 3376
4240 x 2400
3008 x 1688
Video Capture MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 60 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 50 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 60 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 50 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 25 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 - 24 fps
MJPEG - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps
MJPEG - 640 x 480 - 30 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps - 60Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 28Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 60 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 60 fps - 17Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 17Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 28Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 16Mbps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 p - 30 fps - 6Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps - 60Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 28Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 50 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 50 fps - 17Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 17Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 28Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 16Mbps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 p - 25 fps - 6Mbps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Battery Type Olympus BLN-1 Lithium Ion Sony NP-FW50 Lithium Ion
Details Olympus BLN-1 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Sony NP-FW50 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1080 mAh (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 750 shots Photo shooting - 310 shots (EVF on)
Photo shooting - 350 shots (LCD Monitor on)
Video recording - 1.08 hours (EVF on)
Video recording - 1.17 hours (LCD Monitor on)
CONNECTIONS Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Interface Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 2.0, Wireless LAN HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth 4.1
Connectivity Features Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view -
Print Standard DPOF support, Exif Print support, PictBridge support, PRINT Image Matching DPOF support, Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
Composite video/audio output
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
USB 2.0
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Remote control
FEATURES Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Self-Timer Delay 2sec, 12sec 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 5 frames per second, 10 frames per second 8 frames per second, 3 frames per second, 6 frames per second, 11 frames per second
HDR Mode Auto HDR mode, HDR post-processing Auto HDR mode
Additional Features Audio recording, built-in speaker, RGB primary colour filter, auto power save, digital noise reduction, sharpness control, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, in-camera red-eye fix, interval shooting mode, contrast control, face detection, digital tele-converter, Shadow Adjustment Technology, in-camera RAW processing, Full-time Live View, Intelligent AUTO (iAUTO), Eye-Fi Card Ready, Touch Shutter technology, GPS via mobile Built-in speaker, sharpness control, camera orientation detection, histogram display, saturation control, Sweep Panorama technology, shadow point display, highlight point display, contrast control, Dynamic Range Optimizer, built-in help guide, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC), x.v.Colour technology, Multi-Frame Noise Reduction, Eye-Fi Card Ready, noise reduction over long exposures, high ISO speed noise reduction, PlayMemories Camera Apps support, silent shooting, distortion correction function, Clear Image Zoom 2.0x, peripheral shading correction
OTHERS Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500
Included Accessories Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable Eyepiece cover, body cap, shoulder strap, AC power adaptor, micro-USB cable, hot shoe cap
Software Drivers & Utilities, Olympus Viewer 3 -
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature -10 °C 0 °C
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