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Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
68
Imaging
60
Features
93
Overall
73
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Old Model is Olympus E-M1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 III
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed March 2011
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Below is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-M1 II versus Pentax RS1500, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and RS1500 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 II was launched 5 years later than the RS1500 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-M1 II grades versus the RS1500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Pentax RS1500

 E-M1 II RS1500 
RevealedSeptember 2016March 2011More recent by 68 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus E-M1 II

 RS1500 E-M1 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Pentax RS1500

 E-M1 II RS1500 
Focus manually More precise focusing

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 II comes with outside dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) while the Pentax RS1500 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 II versus Pentax RS1500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 II against the RS1500.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 II and RS1500 is 68 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements only by checking out specifications. The graphic below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and RS1500.

Plainly, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M1 II will show more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 II will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1 II
Portrait photography with Pentax RS1500
76
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
35
has manual focus
good MP (14MP)
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Street photography factors
Pentax RS1500 Street photography factors
78
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers touch focus
environment proof
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
great high ISO (25,600)
54
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Sports photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Sports photography camera
75
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (60.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect auto focus
bad battery life (350 per charge)
37
good MP (14 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
environment sealing
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II Travel photography factors
Pentax RS1500 Travel photography factors
72
lighter than competition in class (574g)
environment proof
offers touch focus
resolution is good (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
bad battery life (350 per charge)
67
environment sealing
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 II as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Landscape photography camera
76
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
does not have anti-alias filter
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
bad battery life (350 shots)
40
has manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
good MP (14MP)
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1 II
Vlogging with Pentax RS1500
79
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone support
lighter than competition in class (574 grams)
25
decently wide (28mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone socket
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 II and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIPentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Pentax Optio RS1500
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2016-09-19 2011-03-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Minimum enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter rate 60.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.10 m (at ISO 100) 3.90 m
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video format MOV, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 574g (1.27 pounds) 157g (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.8 not tested
DXO Low light score 1312 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots 260 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 2 1
Retail pricing $1,700 $150