Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-6 Low ISO Comparison (ISO 200-800)
Let’s take a look at how the Olympus OM-D E-M5 compares to the Sony NEX-6 with an APS-C sensor. Here is a comparison of both cameras at ISO 200 (Left: Olympus OM-D E-M5, Right: Sony NEX-6):
Both cameras look very clean at ISO 200, with no difference in noise characteristics.
The same is true for ISO 400.
As we increase ISO to 800, we start to see more noise on both cameras. But I can’t say that one is better than the other – despite a smaller sensor size, the OM-D has impressive image quality.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-6 High ISO Comparison (ISO 1600-25600)
Here is ISO 1600 comparison:
At ISO 1600, there is still very little difference between the two.
Both cameras add plenty of noise at ISO 3200, but neither one has an upper hand. Again, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 shows impressive noise performance at high ISO, despite having a smaller sensor.
Pushing ISO to extreme (for APS-C) values obviously results in significant amount of noise – ISO 6400 is already above my comfort level. We again see a similar situation at ISO 6400 – both cameras perform very well, with perhaps a slight lead on behalf of NEX-6, which seems to retain details better.
At ISO 12800, there is too much noise on both cameras. Hard to tell which one looks better, but it is pretty clear that the NEX-6 seems to retain colors a little better – look at the reds on the ship.
And ISO 25600 is there for fun. Images are too grainy and ugly, with not enough detail and colors throughout the image. Again, the Sony NEX-6 seems to retain colors better than the Olympus.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-6 Summary
As you can see from the above crops, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and the Sony NEX-6 have very similar noise characteristics. Despite the smaller sensor size, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 performed about the same throughout the ISO range. At low ISOs, both cameras produce practically noise-free images. At ISO 1600 and higher, there is about the same amount of noise added to the highlights and the shadows. The NEX-6 has slightly better image quality at ISO 6400 and above, but that difference is minimal. When looking at image crops, you might have noticed that images from the Olympus OM-D E-M5 look slightly darker. This is not due to a difference in exposure – if you look at EXIF data from all images, you will see that there were shot at exactly the same aperture, shutter speed and ISO. After testing a number of mirrorless cameras, I came to the conclusion that the OM-D has a tendency to slightly underexpose by about 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop (it was the only camera that did it). This means that ISO 200 is not really ISO 200, but something like ISO 160.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Low ISO Comparison (ISO 200-800)
Let’s take a look at how the OM-D E-M5 compares to the higher resolution NEX-7. Here is a comparison of ISO 200 on both cameras:
While both cameras produce impressive, noise-free images at ISO 200, the Sony NEX-7 produces slightly sharper images. This is due to downsampling – the NEX-7 has a lot more resolution to play with.
We start seeing some noise at ISO 400, but there is no clear winner here – both cameras produce about the same amount of noise at the same resolution.
The same goes for ISO 800, although again, the NEX-7 images look sharper due to downsampling.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 High ISO Comparison (ISO 1600-25600)
Let’s take a look at ISO 1600:
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 shows a little bigger grain than the NEX-7 due to lower resolution.
Which we see again at ISO 3200. The NEX-7 seems to lose a little bit in the shadows.
The NEX-7 still retains more details at ISO 6400, but its shadow area looks worse with bigger grain.
At ISO 12800, the NEX-7 adds quite a bit of artificial red in the shadows.
Lastly, let’s take a look at both sensors at their highest ISO values:
Both images look terrible, but the NEX-7 certainly has better details and colors, despite the added red color all over the image. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 lost too many of its colors – look at the reds on the ship that are almost gone.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Sony NEX-7 Summary
When comparing images between sensors with different resolution, the only proper way to do it is to downsample images. Otherwise, sensors with bigger pixels (lower resolution) are always going to show better noise characteristics (assuming both are of similar generation/technology). In this case, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 has a 16 MP sensor, while the NEX-7 has a very high resolution 24.3 MP sensor. An 8.3 MP difference can play a huge role when comparing sensors. The NEX-7 has the advantage of a high resolution sensor and its images retain excellent detail even at very high ISO values. It certainly does add quite a bit of red in the shadows at extremely high ISOs, but the amount of detail is still higher. The NEX-7 also seems to maintain colors better at very high ISOs (except for shadows).
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Canon EOS M (ISO 200-800)
The new Canon EOS M mirrorless camera has the same APS-C size sensor from the Canon EOS 650D DSLR. Let’s take a look at how it fares against the OM-D E-M5.
As usual, there is no difference in noise characteristics at such low ISO values.
At ISO 400 we start to see some grain on both cameras.
ISO 800 looks equally good on both.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Canon EOS M High ISO Comparison (ISO 1600-12800)
Let’s take a look at what happens at high ISO levels:
Again, it is hard to say which one is better.
However, at ISO 3200, the shadow area on the EOS M certainly looks grainier in comparison.
At ISO 6400, the EOS M shows more noise, especially in the shadows. But the amount of detail stays pretty high in comparison to the OM-D.
And at the maximum ISO of 12800, the EOS M has more noise in the shadows and artifacts throughout the image.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Canon EOS M Summary
Again, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 showed impressive performance, considering that it has a smaller sensor than the Canon EOS M. It matched the EOS M at lower ISO values and also did quite well at high ISOs, as evidenced from the above comparisons. I would not judge the performance of these cameras by just looking at images though – the Olympus OM-D E-M5 has many more features not present on the EOS M (such as a built-in viewfinder, much better autofocus, better handling and controls, etc) and it represents a higher-level mirrorless segment. The EOS M is targeted at beginners, while the OM-D E-M5 is for more serious photographers.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Nikon 1 J1/J2/V1 Low ISO Comparison (ISO 200-800)
Let’s take a look at how the Olympus OM-D E-M5 compares to the Nikon 1 cameras. Here is a comparison of ISO 200 on both:
Again, sensor size and resolution win big time here – the Nikon 1 looks noisy in comparison to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 even at ISO 200.
No need to repeat the same words – the OM-D E-M5 looks very clean and practically noise-free at ISO 200 and 400.
At ISO 800, there is a little bit of grain on the OM-D E-M5, but it still looks very good in comparison to the J1/J2/V1.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Nikon 1 J1/J2/V1 High ISO Comparison (ISO 1600-6400)
And here are ISO 1600, 3200 and 6400:
Again, the larger and higher resolution sensor of the OM-D E-M5 does make a difference here – it performs very well at high ISOs, even at ISO 6400 when downsampled.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 vs Nikon 1 J1/J2/V1 Summary
As I have numerously talked about before, the only proper way to look at sensor performance is by down-sampling. While the J1/J2/V1 looks great at pixel level, it certainly disappoints when its competition is down-sampled to the same resolution. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 looks exceptionally good when its images are at 10 MP – those extra 6 MP help reduce noise and bring out the sharpness of the image. Again, don’t just look at these image comparisons to make conclusions – lens selection, ergonomics, features and other important factors should all be thoroughly evaluated as well. A key advantage of the Nikon 1 system that is absolutely worth mentioning is its excellent autofocus system. The Nikon 1 cameras work much better in continuous autofocus mode (AF-C), while the OM-D E-M5 suffers quite a bit, as noted earlier in this review.