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Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Pentax Optio WG-1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • New Model is OM System OM-5
Pentax WG-1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced February 2011
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Overview

Below, we are analyzing the Olympus E-M5 III versus Pentax WG-1, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Waterproof by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and WG-1 (14MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and WG-1 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-M5 III was unveiled 8 years later than the WG-1 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax WG-1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-M5 III scores against the WG-1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Pentax WG-1

 E-M5 III WG-1 
IntroducedOctober 2019February 2011More recent by 106 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1040k230kCrisper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax WG-1 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 WG-1 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Pentax WG-1

 E-M5 III WG-1 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 III enjoys exterior dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Pentax WG-1 has sizing of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 III versus Pentax WG-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 differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 III vs the WG-1.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and WG-1 is 80 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing specifications. The graphic here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 III and WG-1.

To sum up, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 III using its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-M5 III will show greater detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images much more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 III is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography info
Pentax WG-1 Portrait photography info
77
manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW formats
35
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography factors
Pentax WG-1 Street photography factors
83
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus by touch
weather sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
54
environment proofing
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography details
Pentax WG-1 Sports photography details
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high frames per second (30.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery pack (310 per charge)
37
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
environment proofing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography advice
Pentax WG-1 Travel photography advice
77
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
offers focus by touch
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery pack (310 per charge)
71
environment proofing
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Pentax WG-1
77
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
not so great battery pack (310 per charge)
42
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual exposure not available
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Vlogging camera
Pentax WG-1 as a Vlogging camera
84
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone port
25
rather wide (28mm)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Pentax WG-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Pentax WG-1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPentax Optio WG-1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Pentax Optio WG-1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Waterproof
Launched 2019-10-17 2011-02-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Lowest boosted ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 30.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414g (0.91 lbs) 157g (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 310 images 260 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $1,199 $350