Nikon
D700
 vs
Olympus OM-D
E-M5

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon D800 vs Olympus OM-D E-M5

Nikon D700

65

  
Olympus OM-D E-M5

54

  
Winner

Nikon D700

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Battery life
 Great battery life
1000 shots
 
Runner-up

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Reasons to buy the Olympus OM-D E-M5

Size
 Really small
Standard size 122x89x43 mm
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
 

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D700
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Help
 Around 4x larger sensor
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 826 ISO
Help
 The D700 has excellent image quality 1.5 f-stops higher ISO than the E-M5
Battery life Much longer battery life 1000 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 2x more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.44x
Help
 More than 2.5x larger viewfinder
Overall image quality Better image quality 80.0 vs 71.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 121 lenses vs 26 lenses
Help
 More than 4.5x more lenses available
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 1100 ms
Help
 2.7x less delay when turning on
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 35
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 197 ms vs 277 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when taking photos
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700

Advantages of the Olympus E-M5
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 60fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Size Much smaller 122x89x43 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
 3x smaller
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The E-M5's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
 Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Weight Much lighter 425 g vs 1,074 g
Help
 2.5x lighter
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.9 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Thickness Thinner 1.7" vs 3"
Help
 More than 40% thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 9 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 80% faster continuous shooting
Lowest price Much cheaper $999.00 vs $3,399.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,401 cheaper (3.4x less)
Viewfinder coverage Slightly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Longest exposure Longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Learn more about
the Olympus E-M5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon D700 Nikon D700
65 vs 54
Explain scores
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Both are weather sealed, which is fairly uncommon among similar cameras Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Battery life Great battery life Help
D700:1000 shots
E-M5:500 shots
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D700:12.2 EV
E-M5:12.3 EV
Color depth Good color depth Help
D700:23.5 bits
E-M5:22.8 bits
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Sensor size Large sensors Help
D700:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
E-M5:Four thirds 17.3x13.0mm
Sensor cleaning Both have self cleaning sensors, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Avoids dust in your photos
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
D700:Pentaprism
E-M5:Digital
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
D700:1/8000s
E-M5:1/4000s
Weight Heavy Help
D700:1,074 g
E-M5:425 g
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D700
Compare the D7000 vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7100 vs the D700
Compare the D7100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,699 with 28-135mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D700
Compare the EOS 7D vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the D700
Compare the D5100 vs the OM-D E-M5
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D700
Compare the EOS 60D vs the OM-D E-M5
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5200 vs the D700
Compare the D5200 vs the OM-D E-M5

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Battery life Shorter battery life
Cross type focus points Fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the D600 vs the D700
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,797 body only

$3,187 with 70-300mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Movie format Shoots movies
Battery life Shorter battery life
Size Slightly larger
Compare the D800 vs the D700
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,479 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Focus points Significantly fewer focus points
Cross type focus points Fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D700

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL5

Olympus PEN E-PL5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Size Smaller
Startup delay Less startup delay
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Compare the PEN E-PL5 vs the OM-D E-M5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$948 body only

$1,098 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Compare the NEX-7 vs the OM-D E-M5
Sony Alpha NEX-6

Sony Alpha NEX-6

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 body only

$898 with 16-50mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Compare the X-E1 vs the OM-D E-M5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,298 body only

$2,599 with 12-35mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Size Significantly larger
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Compare the Lumix DMC-GH3 vs the OM-D E-M5

appearance

Nikon D700 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Nikon D700 Olympus OM-D E-M5
Nikon D700 Olympus OM-D E-M5

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