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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Pentax K-5 IIs front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
83
Overall
68

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Announced February 2020
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax K-5 IIs
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Released June 2013
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-5
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Overview

In this article, we are comparing the Olympus E-M1 III versus Pentax K-5 IIs, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and K-5 IIs (16MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and K-5 IIs (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 III was launched 6 years later than the K-5 IIs and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-5 IIs being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-M1 III grades versus the K-5 IIs in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Pentax K-5 IIs

 E-M1 III K-5 IIs 
ReleasedFebruary 2020June 2013More recent by 82 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k921kCrisper display (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 IIs over the Olympus E-M1 III

 K-5 IIs E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax K-5 IIs

 E-M1 III K-5 IIs 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 III provides physical dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 IIs has proportions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 III versus Pentax K-5 IIs in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the K-5 IIs.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 III and K-5 IIs is 67 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be tough to envision the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath may give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and K-5 IIs.

As you can see, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus E-M1 III will render greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a little more aggressively. The newer E-M1 III is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography details
Pentax K-5 IIs Portrait photography details
77
has manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
74
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1 III
Street photography with Pentax K-5 IIs
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts focus by touch
weather proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
environment proof
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-5 IIs Sports photography highlights
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (60.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
79
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
environment proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-5 IIs Travel photography highlights
79
weather proofing
has bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
decent MP (20 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
65
environment proof
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-5 IIs Landscape photography advice
81
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
does not have anti aliasing filter
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
has dual storage slots
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
does not have low pass filter
saves RAW files
environment proof
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 IIs as a Vlogging camera
79
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes external mic jack
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic port
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax K-5 IIs Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax K-5 IIs
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIIPentax K-5 IIs
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Pentax K-5 IIs
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2020-02-11 2013-06-04
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic IX Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO 64 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 11
Cross focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Total lenses 107 151
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.61x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 60.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings 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, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 580 gr (1.28 lb) 760 gr (1.68 lb)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 82
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1208
Other
Battery life 420 photos 980 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLH-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Two Single
Price at launch $1,800 $749