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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Pentax Optio E90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax E90
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 32-95mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 145g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Launched January 2010
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Overview

Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-M1 versus Pentax E90, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and E90 (10MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and E90 (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was revealed 3 years after the E90 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E90 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-M1 matches up vs the E90 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax E90

 E-M1 E90 
LaunchedOctober 2013January 2010More modern by 46 months
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax E90 over the Olympus E-M1

 E90 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax E90

 E-M1 E90 
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 comes with outside 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 E90 has measurements of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 versus Pentax E90 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-M1 and the E90.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and E90 is 71 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizes just by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and E90.

As you can see, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 will deliver more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1
Portrait photography with Pentax E90
71
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Pentax E90 Street photography advice
78
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
weather proofing
lighter than competition in class (497g)
very good high ISO (25,600)
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography info
Pentax E90 Sports photography info
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
16
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax E90 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition in class (497g)
weather proofing
boasts touch to focus
MP count decent (16MP)
terrible battery power (350 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
50
flash built-in
no Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography info
Pentax E90 Landscape photography info
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
terrible battery power (350 shots)
22
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Pentax E90
36
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes microphone port
lighter than competition in class (497g)
screen is not selfie friendly
22
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax E90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Pentax E90
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Pentax Optio E90
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Pentax Optio E90
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-10-28 2010-01-25
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePIC VII Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 32-95mm (3.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing range - 6cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 grams (1.10 pounds) 145 grams (0.32 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $799 $100