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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Pentax Optio W90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 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
  • Revealed October 2013
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax W90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
  • Introduced February 2010
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M1 versus Pentax W90, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and W90 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and W90 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was unveiled 3 years after the W90 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-M1 matches up vs the W90 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax W90

 E-M1 W90 
IntroducedOctober 2013February 2010Newer by 45 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Olympus E-M1

 W90 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax W90

 E-M1 W90 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 features exterior dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Pentax W90 has dimensions of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M1 versus Pentax W90 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M1 versus the W90.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and W90 is 71 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by going over a spec sheet. The picture below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and W90.

Clearly, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1 will deliver extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax W90 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
high flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
27
has manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Pentax W90 Street photography advice
78
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
environment sealing
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
54
environment proofing
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
Sports photography with Pentax W90
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
24
environment proofing
slow fps (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax W90 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competition in class (497g)
environment sealing
boasts focus by touch
good resolution (16MP)
not so great battery life (350 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
64
environment proofing
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax W90 Landscape photography factors
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
37
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
environment proofing
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax W90 as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic support
lighter than competition in class (497g)
display is not selfie friendly
25
fairly wide (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone support
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax W90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Pentax W90
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Pentax Optio W90
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Pentax Optio W90
Class Pro Mirrorless Waterproof
Revealed 2013-10-28 2010-02-24
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 area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
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, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/320s -
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 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 497 gr (1.10 lb) 164 gr (0.36 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" 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 photos -
Form 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 shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $799 $120