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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Pentax K-3 II front
Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Announced February 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Released April 2015
  • Older Model is Pentax K-3
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax K-3 II, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and K-3 II (24MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and K-3 II (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

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The E-M5 II was introduced 2 months before the K-3 II which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-M5 II grades versus the K-3 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Pentax K-3 II

 E-M5 II K-3 II 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Olympus E-M5 II

 K-3 II E-M5 II 
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax K-3 II

 E-M5 II K-3 II 
ReleasedFebruary 2015April 2015Similar generation
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen resolution1037k1037kEqual screen resolution

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II features outside dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") having a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Pentax K-3 II has dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax K-3 II in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 II vs the K-3 II.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and K-3 II is 80 and 59 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by looking at specifications. The photograph underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and K-3 II.

To sum up, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Pentax K-3 II will give you extra detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography factors
71
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
79
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography factors
Pentax K-3 II Street photography factors
82
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch to focus
environment sealing
very good high ISO (25,600)
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
great ISO range (51,200)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Pentax K-3 II as a Sports photography camera
65
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
bad battery life (310 per charge)
lack of phase detect autofocus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
not so great battery power (720 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Travel photography with Pentax K-3 II
74
environment sealing
includes touch to focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery life (310 per charge)
56
weather sealing
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
not so great battery power (720 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography advice
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
bad battery life (310 per charge)
78
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
2 card slots
not so great battery power (720 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-3 II Vlogging highlights
82
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic port
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic support
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax K-3 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax K-3 II
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPentax K-3 II
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Pentax K-3 II
Class Advanced Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2015-02-06 2015-04-23
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Prime III
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6016 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 25600 51200
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 81 27
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 107 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 1,037 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 8.3 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual 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 (available with dedicated external flash)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Optional
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469 gr (1.03 pounds) 800 gr (1.76 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 80
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 13.6
DXO Low light score 896 1106
Other
Battery life 310 shots 720 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 Dual
Price at launch $699 $829