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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(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
Pentax K-3 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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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

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.

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The 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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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-M1 K-3 II 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-M1

 K-3 II E-M1 
LaunchedApril 2015October 2013More modern by 18 months
Screen size3.2"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 resolution1037k1037kIdentical 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography details
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography details
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
79
you can focus manually
MP count good (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Street photography camera
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
has touch focus
weather proof
lighter than average (497g)
great high ISO (25,600)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Sports photography advice
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect AF
terrible battery life (720 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than average (497g)
weather proof
has touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
56
weather sealing
MP count good (24MP)
terrible battery life (720 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography details
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography details
73
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery life (350 shots)
78
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
terrible battery life (720 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Pentax K-3 II
36
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic support
lighter than average (497g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external microphone port
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Pentax 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