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Olympus E-M10 II vs E-M10 III

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in August 2015 and August 2017. Both the E-M10 II and the E-M10 III are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras that are equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 15.9 megapixels.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications
Olympus E-M10 II
versus
Olympus E-M10 III
Olympus E-M10 II   Olympus E-M10 III
Mirrorless system camera Mirrorless system camera
Micro Four Thirds lenses Micro Four Thirds lenses
15.9 MP – Four Thirds sensor 15.9 MP – Four Thirds sensor
1080/60p Video 4K/30p Video
ISO 200-25,600 ISO 200-25,600
Electronic viewfinder (2360k dots) Electronic viewfinder (2360k dots)
3.0" LCD – 1040k dots 3.0" LCD – 1040k dots
Tilting touchscreen Tilting touchscreen
8 shutter flaps per second 8.6 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilizationIn-body stabilization
320 shots per battery charge330 shots per battery charge
120 x 83 x 47 mm, 390 g 122 x 84 x 50 mm, 410 g
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Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

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Body comparison

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Olympus E-M10 II and the Olympus E-M10 III. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The E-M10 II can be obtained in three different colors (black, silver, brown), while the E-M10 III is available in two color-versions (black, silver).

Size Olympus E-M10 II vs Olympus E-M10 III
Compare E-M10 II versus E-M10 III top
Comparison E-M10 II or E-M10 III rear

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Olympus E-M10 III is somewhat larger (3 percent) than the Olympus E-M10 II. Moreover, the E-M10 III is markedly heavier (5 percent) than the E-M10 II. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the E-M10 II nor the E-M10 III are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Micro Four Thirds Lens Catalog. Mirrorless cameras, such as the two under consideration, have the additional advantage of having a short flange to focal plane distance, which makes it possible to mount many lenses from other systems onto the camera via adapters.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. In case you want to display and compare another camera duo, you can use the CAM-parator app to select your camera combination among a large number of options.

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Body Specifications
  empty Camera
Model
Camera
Width
Camera
Height
Camera
Depth
Camera
Weight
Battery
Life
Weather
Sealing
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Olympus E-M10 II 120 mm 83 mm 47 mm 390 g 320 n Aug 2015 US$ 649ebay.com
2.
 
Olympus E-M10 III 122 mm 84 mm 50 mm 410 g 330 n Aug 2017 US$ 649ebay.com
3.
 
Olympus E-M5 II 124 mm 85 mm 45 mm 469 g 310 Y Feb 2015 US$ 1 099ebay.com
4.
 
Olympus E-M10 119 mm 82 mm 46 mm 396 g 320 n Jan 2014 US$ 699ebay.com
5.
 
Olympus E-M10 IV 122 mm 84 mm 49 mm 383 g 360 n Aug 2020 US$ 699 amazon.com
6.
 
Olympus E-P5 122 mm 69 mm 37 mm 420 g 330 n May 2013 US$ 999ebay.com
7.
 
Olympus E-PL5 111 mm 64 mm 38 mm 325 g 360 n Sep 2012 US$ 599ebay.com
8.
 
Olympus E-PL7 115 mm 67 mm 38 mm 357 g 350 n Aug 2014 US$ 599ebay.com
9.
 
Olympus E-PL8 115 mm 67 mm 38 mm 357 g 350 n Sep 2016 US$ 549ebay.com
10.
 
Olympus E-PL9 117 mm 68 mm 39 mm 380 g 350 n Feb 2018 US$ 599ebay.com
11.
 
Olympus PEN-F 125 mm 72 mm 37 mm 427 g 330 n Jan 2016 US$ 1 199ebay.com
12.
 
Panasonic GX80 122 mm 71 mm 44 mm 426 g 290 n Apr 2016 US$ 799 amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will obviously take relative prices into account. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The two cameras under review were launched at the same price and fall into the same market segment. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature a Four Thirds sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras feature a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 4:3.

Technology-wise, the E-M10 III uses a more advanced image processing engine (TruePic VIII) than the E-M10 II (TruePic VII), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

Olympus E-M10 II and Olympus E-M10 III sensor measures

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 15.9 megapixels. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the E-M10 II and the E-M10 III have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the E-M10 III is much more recent (by 2 years) than the E-M10 II, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that neither of the two cameras has an anti-alias filter installed, so they are able to capture all the detail the sensor resolves.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II has a native sensitivity range from ISO 200 to ISO 25600, which can be extended to ISO 100-25600. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III offers exactly the same ISO settings.

Technology-wise, both cameras are equipped with CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensors. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

E-M10 II versus E-M10 III MP

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

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Sensor Characteristics
  empty Camera
Model
Sensor
Class
Resolution
(MP)
Horiz.
Pixels
Vert.
Pixels
Video
Format
DXO
Portrait
DXO
Landscape
DXO
Sports
DXO
Overall
1.
 
Olympus E-M10 II Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/60p23.112.584273
2.
 
Olympus E-M10 III Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34564K/30p23.112.8112074
3.
 
Olympus E-M5 II Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/60p23.012.584273
4.
 
Olympus E-M10 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/30p22.812.388472
5.
 
Olympus E-M10 IV Four Thirds 20.2 5184 38884K/30p23.313.2140276
6.
 
Olympus E-P5 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/30p22.812.489572
7.
 
Olympus E-PL5 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/30p22.812.388972
8.
 
Olympus E-PL7 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/30p22.712.487372
9.
 
Olympus E-PL8 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34561080/30p23.012.6103073
10.
 
Olympus E-PL9 Four Thirds 15.9 4608 34564K/30p23.112.8116274
11.
 
Olympus PEN-F Four Thirds 20.2 5184 38881080/60p23.112.489474
12.
 
Panasonic GX80 Four Thirds 15.8 4592 34484K/30p22.912.666271
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the E-M10 III provides a better video resolution than the E-M10 II. It can shoot movie footage at 4K/30p, while the E-M10 II is limited to 1080/60p.

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Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The E-M10 II and the E-M10 III are similar in the sense that both feature an electronic viewfinder, which is helpful when framing images in bright sunlight. Moreover, their viewfinders offer an identical resolution of 2360k dots. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Olympus E-M10 II, the Olympus E-M10 III, and comparable cameras.

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Core Features
  empty Camera
Model
Viewfinder
(Type or
000 dots)
Control
Panel
(yes/no)
LCD
Specifications
(inch/000 dots)
LCD
Attach-
ment
Touch
Screen
(yes/no)
Max
Shutter
Speed *
Max
Shutter
Flaps *
Built-in
Flash
(yes/no)
Built-in
Image
Stab
1.
 
Olympus E-M10 II2360 n3.0 / 1040 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.0/s Y Y
2.
 
Olympus E-M10 III2360 n3.0 / 1040 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.6/s Y Y
3.
 
Olympus E-M5 II2360 n3.0 / 1037 swivel Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
4.
 
Olympus E-M101440 n3.0 / 1037 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.0/s Y Y
5.
 
Olympus E-M10 IV2360 n3.0 / 1040 tilting Y 1/4000s 15.0/s Y Y
6.
 
Olympus E-P5optional n3.0 / 1037 tilting Y 1/8000s 9.0/s Y Y
7.
 
Olympus E-PL5optional n3.0 / 460 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.0/s n Y
8.
 
Olympus E-PL7optional n3.0 / 1037 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.0/s n Y
9.
 
Olympus E-PL8optional n3.0 / 1037 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.0/s n Y
10.
 
Olympus E-PL9none n3.0 / 1040 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.6/s Y Y
11.
 
Olympus PEN-F2360 n3.0 / 1037 swivel Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
12.
 
Panasonic GX802765 n3.0 / 1040 tilting Y 1/4000s 8.0/s Y Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The reported shutter speed information refers to the use of the mechanical shutter. Yet, some cameras only have an electronic shutter, while others have an electronic shutter in addition to a mechanical one. In fact, both cameras under consideration feature an electronic shutter, which makes completely silent shooting possible. However, this mode is less suitable for photographing moving objects (risk of rolling shutter) or shooting under artificial light sources (risk of flickering).

The Olympus E-M10 II and the Olympus E-M10 III both have an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the E-M10 II and the E-M10 III write their files to SDXC cards. The E-M10 III supports UHS-II cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 312 MB/s), while the E-M10 II can use UHS-I cards (up to 104 MB/s).

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Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

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Input-Output Connections
  empty Camera
Model
Hotshoe
Port
Internal
Mic / Speaker
Microphone
Port
Headphone
Port
HDMI
Port
USB
Port
WiFi
Support
NFC
Support
Bluetooth
Support
1.
 
Olympus E-M10 IIYstereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
2.
 
Olympus E-M10 IIIYstereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
3.
 
Olympus E-M5 IIYstereo / monoY-micro2.0Y--
4.
 
Olympus E-M10Ystereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
5.
 
Olympus E-M10 IVYstereo / mono--micro2.0Y-Y
6.
 
Olympus E-P5Ystereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
7.
 
Olympus E-PL5Ystereo / mono--mini2.0---
8.
 
Olympus E-PL7Ystereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
9.
 
Olympus E-PL8Ystereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
10.
 
Olympus E-PL9Ystereo / mono--micro2.0Y-Y
11.
 
Olympus PEN-FYstereo / mono--micro2.0Y--
12.
 
Panasonic GX80Ystereo / mono--micro2.0Y--

Both the E-M10 II and the E-M10 III have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. The E-M10 II was replaced by the Olympus E-M10 III, while the E-M10 III was followed by the Olympus E-M10 IV. Further information on the features and operation of the E-M10 II and E-M10 III can be found, respectively, in the Olympus E-M10 II Manual (free pdf) or the online Olympus E-M10 III Manual.

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Review summary

So how do things add up? Which of the two cameras – the Olympus E-M10 II or the Olympus E-M10 III – has the upper hand? Is one clearly better than the other? The listing below highlights the relative strengths of the two models.


Reasons to prefer the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II:

  • More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in August 2015).


Arguments in favor of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III:

  • Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (TruePic VIII vs TruePic VII).
  • Better video: Provides higher definition movie capture (4K/30p vs 1080/60p).
  • Faster buffer clearing: Supports a more advanced SD data transfer standard (UHS-II vs UHS-I).
  • More modern: Reflects 2 years of technical progress since the E-M10 II launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the E-M10 III emerges as the winner of the match-up (4 : 1 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

E-M10 II 01:04 E-M10 III

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Olympus E-M10 II and the Olympus E-M10 III place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says little about, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance of the E-M10 II and the E-M10 III in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable.

Expert reviews

This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

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Expert Camera Reviews
  empty  Camera 
 Model 
 AP 
 score 
 CL 
 score 
 DCW 
 score 
 DPR 
 score 
 EPZ 
 score 
 PB 
 score 
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Olympus E-M10 II4.5/5+ +..80/1005/55/5 Aug 2015 US$ 649ebay.com
2.
 
Olympus E-M10 III..+5/580/1004.5/54.5/5 Aug 2017 US$ 649ebay.com
3.
 
Olympus E-M5 II5/5+ +4.5/581/1005/55/5 Feb 2015 US$ 1 099ebay.com
4.
 
Olympus E-M104/5....80/1005/55/5 Jan 2014 US$ 699ebay.com
5.
 
Olympus E-M10 IV4.5/5..5/581/1004.5/54.5/5 Aug 2020 US$ 699 amazon.com
6.
 
Olympus E-P55/5+ +..78/1004.5/55/5 May 2013 US$ 999ebay.com
7.
 
Olympus E-PL53/5+ +....4.5/54.5/5 Sep 2012 US$ 599ebay.com
8.
 
Olympus E-PL74/5+....5/54/5 Aug 2014 US$ 599ebay.com
9.
 
Olympus E-PL8........4.5/54/5 Sep 2016 US$ 549ebay.com
10.
 
Olympus E-PL9..+....4.5/54/5 Feb 2018 US$ 599ebay.com
11.
 
Olympus PEN-F....4/582/1004.5/55/5 Jan 2016 US$ 1 199ebay.com
12.
 
Panasonic GX804.5/5+ +..82/1005/55/5 Apr 2016 US$ 799 amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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    Specifications: Olympus E-M10 II vs Olympus E-M10 III

    Below is a side-by-side comparison of the specs of the two cameras to facilitate a quick review of their differences and common features.

    Camera Specifications
    Camera Model Olympus E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 III
    Camera Type Mirrorless system camera Mirrorless system camera
    Camera Lens Micro Four Thirds lenses Micro Four Thirds lenses
    Launch Date August 2015 August 2017
    Launch Price USD 649 USD 649
    Sensor Specs Olympus E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 III
    Sensor Technology CMOS CMOS
    Sensor Format Four Thirds Sensor Four Thirds Sensor
    Sensor Size 17.3 x 13.0 mm 17.3 x 13.0 mm
    Sensor Area 224.9 mm2 224.9 mm2
    Sensor Diagonal 21.6 mm 21.6 mm
    Crop Factor 2.0x 2.0x
    Sensor Resolution 15.9 Megapixels 15.9 Megapixels
    Image Resolution 4608 x 3456 pixels 4608 x 3456 pixels
    Pixel Pitch 3.76 μm 3.76 μm
    Pixel Density 7.08 MP/cm2 7.08 MP/cm2
    Moiré control no AA filter no AA filter
    Movie Capability 1080/60p Video 4K/30p Video
    ISO Setting 200 - 25,600 ISO 200 - 25,600 ISO
    ISO Boost 100 - 25,600 ISO 100 - 25,600 ISO
    Image Processor TruePic VII TruePic VIII
    DXO Sensor Quality (score) 73 ..
    DXO Color Depth (bits) 23.1 ..
    DXO Dynamic Range (EV) 12.5 ..
    DXO Low Light (ISO) 842 ..
    Screen Specs Olympus E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 III
    Viewfinder Type Electronic viewfinder Electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Field of View 100% 100%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.62x 0.62x
    Viewfinder Resolution 2360k dots 2360k dots
    LCD Framing Live View Live View
    Rear LCD Size 3.0inch 3.0inch
    LCD Resolution 1040k dots 1040k dots
    LCD Attachment Tilting screen Tilting screen
    Touch Input Touchscreen Touchscreen
    Shooting Specs Olympus E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 III
    Focus System Contrast-detect AF Contrast-detect AF
    Manual Focusing AidFocus PeakingFocus Peaking
    Max Shutter Speed (mechanical) 1/4000s 1/4000s
    Continuous Shooting 8 shutter flaps/s 8.6 shutter flaps/s
    Electronic Shutterup to 1/16000sup to 1/16000s
    Time-Lapse PhotographyIntervalometer built-inIntervalometer built-in
    Image StabilizationIn-body stabilizationIn-body stabilization
    Fill Flash Built-in Flash Built-in Flash
    Storage Medium SDXC cards SDXC cards
    Single or Dual Card Slots Single card slot Single card slot
    UHS card support UHS-I UHS-II
    Connectivity Specs Olympus E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 III
    External Flash Hotshoe Hotshoe
    USB Connector USB 2.0 USB 2.0
    HDMI Port micro HDMI micro HDMI
    Wifi Support Wifi built-in Wifi built-in
    Body Specs Olympus E-M10 II Olympus E-M10 III
    Battery Type Olympus BLS-50 Olympus BLS-50
    Battery Life (CIPA)320 shots per charge330 shots per charge
    Body Dimensions 120 x 83 x 47 mm
    (4.7 x 3.3 x 1.9 in)
    122 x 84 x 50 mm
    (4.8 x 3.3 x 2.0 in)
    Camera Weight 390 g (13.8 oz) 410 g (14.5 oz)
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