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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Pentax K-r front
Portability
67
Imaging
53
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r 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 Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax K-r
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 598g - 125 x 97 x 68mm
  • Launched March 2011
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-r, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and K-r (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and K-r (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was announced 2 years after the K-r which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-M1 grades versus the K-r in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax K-r

 E-M1 K-r 
LaunchedOctober 2013March 2011More modern by 33 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k921kCrisper display (+116k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-r over the Olympus E-M1

 K-r E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-r

 E-M1 K-r 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 provides outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-r has sizing of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-r in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 against the K-r.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and K-r is 71 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizes purely by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and K-r.

Clearly, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus E-M1 will result in extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images more aggressively. The newer E-M1 should have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-r Portrait photography factors
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW files
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography information
Pentax K-r Street photography information
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
boasts focus by touch
environment proofing
lighter than competitors in class (497 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
Sports photography with Pentax K-r
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
55
high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (470 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography factors
Pentax K-r Travel photography factors
65
lighter than competitors in class (497 grams)
environment proofing
boasts focus by touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
not so great battery (350 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
47
has built in flash
terrible battery (470 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax K-r Landscape photography factors
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
not so great battery (350 CIPA)
65
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
terrible battery (470 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-r as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone support
lighter than competitors in class (497g)
display isn't selfie friendly
26
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone support
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax K-r Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Pentax K-r
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Pentax K-r
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Pentax K-r
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2013-10-28 2011-03-11
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 2848
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 11
Cross type focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 96%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.57x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/6000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync, High-Speed Sync and Wireless Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/320 seconds 1/180 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 gr (1.10 pounds) 598 gr (1.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 125 x 97 x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 72
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 12.4
DXO Low light rating 757 755
Other
Battery life 350 images 470 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI109,4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $799 $1,100