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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q

Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
 
Pentax Q front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Key Specs

Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M10 II
Pentax Q
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 180g - 98 x 57 x 31mm
  • Revealed June 2011
  • Successor is Pentax Q10
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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M10 versus Pentax Q, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and Q (12MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and Q (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The E-M10 was introduced 2 years later than the Q and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax Q being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-M10 grades against the Q when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Pentax Q

 E-M10 Q 
RevealedMarch 2014June 2011Fresher by 34 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax Q over the Olympus E-M10

 Q E-M10 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 and Pentax Q

 E-M10 Q 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M10 comes with outside measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") and a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Pentax Q has measurements of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") along with a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M10 versus Pentax Q in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-M10 compared to the Q.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 and Q is 82 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's hard to picture the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading specifications. The graphic underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and Q.

Plainly, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M10 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M10 will offer you more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos way more aggressively. The fresher E-M10 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M10
Portrait photography with Pentax Q
71
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
45
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
exports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Street photography information
Pentax Q Street photography information
77
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than competition (396 grams)
69
image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (180g)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M10
Sports photography with Pentax Q
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
31
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers tracking focus
low frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (230 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Travel photography info
Pentax Q Travel photography info
67
includes touch to focus
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
more heavy than competition (396g)
display is not selfie friendly
57
lighter than competition in class (180g)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (230 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M10
Landscape photography with Pentax Q
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
51
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax Q mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (230 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Vlogging advice
Pentax Q Vlogging advice
33
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
more heavy than competition (396g)
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (180g)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-M10 vs Pentax Q Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 and Pentax Q
 Olympus OM-D E-M10Pentax Q
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Pentax Q
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2014-03-18 2011-06-23
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor 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 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Pentax Q
Available lenses 107 8
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (ISO100) 5.60 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(1/1(FULL)~1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Trailing-curtain sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396 grams (0.87 lbs) 180 grams (0.40 lbs)
Physical dimensions 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") 98 x 57 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 47
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 20.2
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 11.1
DXO Low light rating 884 189
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 230 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10)) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $600 $695