Clicky

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Introduced August 2017
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M10 II
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M10 IV
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Released February 2016
  • Replacement is Pentax K-1 II
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M10 III and Pentax K-1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-M10 III (16MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and K-1 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-M10 III was revealed 19 months after the K-1 making them a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-M10 III matches up versus the K-1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Pentax K-1

 E-M10 III K-1 
ReleasedAugust 2017February 2016More modern by 19 months
Display resolution1040k1037kClearer display (+3k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Olympus E-M10 III

 K-1 E-M10 III 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Pentax K-1

 E-M10 III K-1 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 III comes with external dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-1 has specifications of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M10 III and Pentax K-1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-M10 III and the K-1.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 III and K-1 is 80 and 55 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to see the gap in sensor sizes merely by checking out technical specs. The pic here will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M10 III and K-1.

As you have seen, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 III having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-1 will show more detail because of its extra 20MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M10 III is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Portrait photography camera
73
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
85
has manual focus
MP count great (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Street photography info
Pentax K-1 Street photography info
77
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
provides focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than competitors (410 grams)
70
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
very good high ISO (204,800)
more heavy than competitors (1,010 grams)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Sports photography camera
69
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count great (36MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
slow frames per second (4.4 frames/s)
not so great battery (760 per charge)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Travel photography info
Pentax K-1 Travel photography info
67
provides focus by touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
more heavy than competitors (410 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
53
weather sealing
MP count great (36MP)
not so great battery (760 per charge)
more heavy than competitors (1,010g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Landscape photography details
Pentax K-1 Landscape photography details
80
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
81
has manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count great (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
very good high ISO (204,800)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
has double storage slots
not so great battery (760 shots)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Vlogging details
Pentax K-1 Vlogging details
32
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
more heavy than competitors (410 grams)
31
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (1,010 grams)
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M10 III vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Pentax K-1
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIIPentax K-1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Pentax K-1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2017-08-31 2016-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 36MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 7360 x 4912
Maximum native ISO 25600 204800
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 121 33
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Available lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6 frames/s 4.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.80 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/200 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 410g (0.90 lbs) 1010g (2.23 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.6
DXO Low light score not tested 3280
Other
Battery life 330 images 760 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots 1 2
Price at launch $650 $1,499