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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 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
  • Launched February 2020
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Introduced July 2013
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-M1 III versus Pentax MX-1, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and MX-1 (12MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 III was announced 6 years later than the MX-1 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-M1 III matches up against the MX-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Pentax MX-1

 E-M1 III MX-1 
IntroducedFebruary 2020July 2013Fresher by 81 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k920kCrisper screen (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 MX-1 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax MX-1

 E-M1 III MX-1 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 III comes with outside measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M1 III versus Pentax MX-1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 III against the MX-1.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and MX-1 is 67 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The photograph here might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and MX-1.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M1 III will result in greater detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M1 III provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography info
Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography info
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW files
42
has manual focus
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography info
Pentax MX-1 Street photography info
78
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
environment sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
65
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
small sensor (1/1.7")
more heavy than others (391 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography details
Pentax MX-1 Sports photography details
81
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (60.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect AF
43
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (290 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Travel photography camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Travel photography camera
79
environment sealing
has bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
MP count good (20MP)
selfie friendly display
61
better than average battery power (290 per charge)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than others (391g)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography features
Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography features
81
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
two card slots
55
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (290 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
small sensor (1/1.7")
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Vlogging info
Pentax MX-1 Vlogging info
79
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic socket
33
rather wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone socket
more heavy than others (391 grams)
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Pentax MX-1
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIIPentax MX-1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Pentax MX-1
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2020-02-11 2013-07-01
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic IX -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 121 25
Cross type focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Highest silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting rate 60.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash options 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, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest 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 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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 580g (1.28 pounds) 391g (0.86 pounds)
Physical dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 49
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 208
Other
Battery life 420 shots 290 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLH-1 D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Two Single
Launch cost $1,800 $400