Clicky

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Pentax Optio H90 front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
24
Overall
30

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 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
  • Released October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax H90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 Overview

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax H90, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and H90 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and H90 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-M1 was announced 3 years later than the H90 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax H90 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-M1 grades against the H90 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax H90

 E-M1 H90 
RevealedOctober 2013January 2010Fresher by 46 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax H90 over the Olympus E-M1

 H90 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax H90

 E-M1 H90 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Pentax H90 has specifications of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax H90 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 versus the H90.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and H90 is 71 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing just by going over specifications. The visual below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and H90.

Plainly, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 using its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M1 will offer extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M1 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography details
Pentax H90 Portrait photography details
71
focusing manually
high flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW files
27
manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax H90 as a Street photography camera
78
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports focus by touch
environment sealing
lighter than others (497g)
very good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography features
Pentax H90 Sports photography features
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
31
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax H90 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than others (497 grams)
environment sealing
supports focus by touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
terrible battery power (350 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
57
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse function
low MP (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography features
Pentax H90 Landscape photography features
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
terrible battery power (350 CIPA)
36
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging information
Pentax H90 Vlogging information
36
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone port
lighter than others (497 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
28
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax H90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Pentax H90
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Pentax Optio H90
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Pentax Optio H90
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2013-10-28 2010-01-25
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 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 Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/320 seconds -
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 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497g (1.10 pounds) 153g (0.34 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1")
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 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI68
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
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $799 $150