Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax MX-1

The following is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax MX-1, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and MX-1 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and MX-1 (1/1.7") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was brought out 4 months after the MX-1 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short view of how the E-M1 scores against the MX-1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Pentax MX-1. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Pentax MX-1 Gallery.

In case you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 comes with outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Pentax MX-1 has specifications of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") along with a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax MX-1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-M1 and the MX-1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and MX-1 is 71 and 84 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by looking at technical specs. The pic below may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 and MX-1.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 will give you more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.