Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax P80

In this write-up, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax P80, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and P80 (12MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and P80 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 III was announced 10 years later than the P80 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-M1 III scores against the P80 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Pentax Optio P80. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Pentax P80 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 III offers physical measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Pentax P80 has measurements of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 III vs Pentax P80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 III and the P80.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and P80 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by looking at technical specs. The visual here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 III and P80.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1 III will give greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The newer E-M1 III will have an edge in sensor technology.