Clicky

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Pentax 645Z front
Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-3
Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Revealed April 2014
  • Previous Model is Pentax 645D
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-5 and Pentax 645Z, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Pro DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) feature different sensor dimensions.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The E-5 was manufactured 4 years prior to the 645Z which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-5 scores against the 645Z for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Pentax 645Z

 E-5 645Z 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Olympus E-5

 645Z E-5 
RevealedApril 2014February 2011Newer by 38 months
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k920kSharper screen (+117k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Pentax 645Z

 E-5 645Z 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 enjoys external dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") and a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-5 and Pentax 645Z in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-5 vs the 645Z.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and 645Z is 58 and 49 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading specs. The pic underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and 645Z.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will offer more detail due to its extra 39 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
88
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is great (51MP)
sensor size is big (Medium format)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Street photography camera
Pentax 645Z as a Street photography camera
71
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
63
tilting screen
sensor size is big (Medium format)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
great ISO range (204,800)
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550 grams)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Sports photography highlights
59
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
71
sensor resolution is great (51 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Medium format)
includes tracking focus
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
not so great battery life (650 CIPA)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography highlights
Pentax 645Z Travel photography highlights
56
environment proofing
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Time Lapse recording
low MP (12MP)
51
environment proof
sensor resolution is great (51MP)
not so great battery life (650 CIPA)
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography information
Pentax 645Z Landscape photography information
65
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
two card slots
low MP (12MP)
does not have Time Lapse recording
78
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
sensor resolution is great (51 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Medium format)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (204,800)
delivers RAW files
environment proof
2 card slots
no image stabilization
not so great battery life (650 shots)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging information
Pentax 645Z Vlogging information
64
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
has external mic socket
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
27
includes face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (1,550g)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax 645Z Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Pentax 645Z
 Olympus E-5Pentax 645Z
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-5 Pentax 645Z
Type Advanced DSLR Pro DSLR
Released 2011-02-03 2014-04-15
Physical type Mid-size SLR Large SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V+ PRIME III
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Medium format
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 44 x 33mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 1,452.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 51MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 8256 x 6192
Highest native ISO 6400 204800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 27
Cross focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax 645AF2
Available lenses 45 6
Focal length multiplier 2.1 0.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3.2 inch
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.85x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync+Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, contrast-control-sync, high-speed sync, wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/125s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800 gr (1.76 pounds) 1550 gr (3.42 pounds)
Dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 101
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 14.7
DXO Low light score 519 4505
Other
Battery life 870 photos 650 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLM-5 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
Card slots Two Two
Pricing at release $1,700 $5,024