Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
59 Imaging
65 Features
84 Overall
72
Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Released October 2013
- Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3.2" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 51200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
- Launched April 2015
- Old Model is Pentax K-3
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Following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-3 II, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthThe E-M1 was released 18 months before the K-3 II which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-M1 grades vs the K-3 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Pentax K-3 II. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Pentax K-3 II Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax K-3 II
| E-M1 | K-3 II | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Touch friendly screen | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-M1
| K-3 II | E-M1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | April 2015 | October 2013 | More modern by 18 months | |
| Screen size | 3.2" | 3" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-3 II
| E-M1 | K-3 II | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | Very exact focusing | |||
| Screen resolution | 1037k | 1037k | Identical screen resolution | |
| Selfie screen | Neither features selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Pentax K-3 II has measurements of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-3 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-M1 vs the K-3 II.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and K-3 II is 71 and 59 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and K-3 II.
As you can see, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-3 II will result in greater detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-M1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.
Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Pentax K-3 II | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Pentax |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Pentax K-3 II |
| Type | Pro Mirrorless | Advanced DSLR |
| Released | 2013-10-28 | 2015-04-23 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Mid-size SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | TruePIC VII | Prime III |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6016 x 4000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 51200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | 27 |
| Cross type focus points | - | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Pentax KAF2 |
| Number of lenses | 107 | 151 |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3 inches | 3.2 inches |
| Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dot | 1,037 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.64x |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
| Continuous shutter speed | 10.0fps | 8.3fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | no built-in flash | no built-in flash |
| Flash options | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual | Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, 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 (available with dedicated external flash) |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash sync | 1/320 seconds | 1/180 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Microphone jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | Optional |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) |
| GPS | None | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 497g (1.10 pounds) | 800g (1.76 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 73 | 80 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | 23.6 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.7 | 13.6 |
| DXO Low light rating | 757 | 1106 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 pictures | 720 pictures |
| Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | D-LI90 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Storage slots | One | 2 |
| Pricing at release | $799 | $829 |